Wicked Games
by PhoenixOwnsTheNight
Summary: BEGINS/TDK/TDKR. Madolyn Wayne finds herself in an unlikely predicament when she's forced to choose between her family and her newfound, sadistic relationship with The Joker. Things get even more complicated when she meets a beat cop named John Blake. Joker/OC/John, Bruce/Rachel, hints of Harvey/Rachel
1. Living In A Glass House

**A/N:** This part covers pre-Begins and during Begins. I wanted to establish Maddie's character and her relationships with Bruce, Rachel, and Alfred. Next one will do the same, but will go deeper into Begins. I'll get into TDK soon, promise. Please Read/Review! I'd love to know what you guys think.

--

The sadness Bruce felt at the funeral was deafening. Like a knife in his heart. Watching his parents' coffins be lowered into the ground was an image that would never disappear from his young mind. He looked down as a hand intertwined with his. He knew who it was without looking up. Slightly smaller than his own covered in a wool glove. Rachel Dawes. His best friend. His only friend, really. None of the other children ever gave him much attention. But she was different. Loyal.

Afterwards, they ended up sitting in the garden, watching the adults talk amongst themselves. Alfred was keeping a safe distance, making sure all of the guests had a fresh drink in hand. Bruce didn't seem to want anyone within ten feet of him except for Rachel, who was beginning to feel like she was doing something wrong. He hadn't spoken in over five minutes and she was running out of things to do with her hands. Now, they were placed neatly in her lap, still.

And then, the silence was broken. "What should I tell Madolyn?" Bruce whispered. His voice was small and his eyes were on the floor. Rachel assumed he was addressing her since she was the only one around.

"She's only a baby, Bruce. Even if you did tell her, I don't think she'd understand." Rachel explained cautiously, feeling bad as soon as the words left her mouth. _That wasn't the right answer,_ she thought. She had never been around a baby before Bruce's little sister. How would she know what the child was capable of understanding at the age of nine months?

He went silent again, burning holes through his shoes. "I have to take care of her now. I have to do what they would have done."

Rachel felt the sudden urge to hug him, but stopped herself mid-way. She didn't want to embarrass him in front of all of those people. Most boys their age were like that. She went for the next best thing and put her hand on top of his. "I'll help you and Alfred take care of her. Even if my Mother does find a new job. I'll come over to help. Every day if you want." The urgency in her own voice surprised Rachel. She had meant every word. There was no other place she'd rather be. Wayne Manor was like her second home.

Bruce only nodded in response, grateful for her promise, and for the first time, intertwined his hand with hers first. Rachel felt a smile form in the corners of her small mouth. She had always wanted a sister... and for Bruce Wayne to be the one to take her hand first.

That night, Bruce crept down the hall and into Madolyn's bedroom. He peeked over her crib. "You don't have to worry." Bruce whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping child. "Rachel said she'd help Alfred and I take care of you. She's really smart for a girl, I guess. I..." He tried to choose his words carefully.

"I'll always protect you. No matter what." Bruce finished. "I'll help you remember them too, so you'll never forget. I promise."

--

Every year on the same day, Alfred drove Bruce and Madolyn to their parents' grave. And every one of those years, Bruce was more and more angry. More and more quiet. His eyes had even changed.

When Bruce turned thirteen, he insisted on having a driver escort them to the grave site, deciding that it was too much of a burden for Alfred. He already had to drive them everywhere as it was. So much, in fact, that another driver had been hired in case of conflicting schedules. Besides, he never seemed to have a day off. Bruce couldn't remember a day when Alfred wasn't there.

--

After placing fresh flowers on the graves, Bruce would head over to the diner across the street with Maddie (a nickname that seemed to stick over the years) in tow. They would have the same thing every time. A shared plate of french fries and two milkshakes. Chocolate for him and Strawberry for her, because she was allergic to chocolate. They had all found that out the hard way.

"Bruce?" A nine-year-old Maddie asked, with questioning brown eyes. "Why are you always kissing Nina?"

Bruce had to cover his mouth with a napkin so he wouldn't spit his drink onto the table. He pondered the answer before he spoke, wanting to be as clear as possible so that they'd hopefully never have to talk about this again. The subject had been sneaking it's way into their little talks lately. He was sixteen after all and had had his share of girlfriends over the years. "Because she's my friend. You know that."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Maddie stared at him square in the eyes. There was no escape.

Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yes. I guess you could say that. Why do you always want to know who my girlfriend is? You shouldn't be thinking about things like that. It's so silly."

Maddie crossed her arms over her chest and let out a small pout. She knew that always got to him. "But I want Rachel to be your girlfriend."

That was no surprise. Maddie had always favored Rachel over Bruce's conquests. And yes, that's what they all were to him. Conquests. He had never taken any of them seriously. To even call them his "girlfriends" was alien to him. He didn't think of them that way. Of course, he treated them well like any guy should, and referred to them to the people who asked as his girlfriend, but there was never any connection there. Not like with Rachel, anyway.

But she was only a friend, and besides, he knew everything about her. They told each other everything. Even the things he didn't want to know about. She had never had many girl friends. Though lately, their relationship had changed. When she would tell him about the latest jerk that was on the verge of breaking her heart, yet again, he would feel jealousy rise in the pit of his stomach, which he could never understand. If Rachel would never see him as more than a friend, then why should he? Then he would be the one with the broken heart. No, he wouldn't do anything about his unrequited love for Rachel Dawes. His best friend since childhood. He would the bury the feelings and suffer in silence with other girls who would never be as authentic, as intelligent, as kind, or as beautiful as she was.

Yeah, life was fair.

"Bruce?!" Maddie called, bringing him out of his deep thought. "Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?"

Bruce nodded quickly, finishing up the last of the fries. "Of course. You were saying... Rachel... I should be going out with Rachel... which will never happen by the way. We're just friends. Something you also know."

"But you didn't hear _why,_" Maddie explained, excitedly tugging at his sleeve. "It's just like in Cinderella. Rachel's like her. She's poor and she's..."

"Rachel's not poor." Bruce corrected. "She's just not as fortunate as we are."

She thinks for a moment. "Maybe one day a fairy godmother will come and make Rachel a real princess. Then you can marry her and she can be my real sister. We can all live at the manor with Alfred forever."

He gently took her hand and looked into her eyes. She seemed so convinced that this was all going to happen. That it could happen. "Maddie, those kinds of things only happen in your books. It's only a fairytale. Rachel and I, we'll be friends for the rest of our lives, I'm sure of that. But she doesn't love me. Not like that."

"But you do love her. If you didn't you wouldn't have that sad look on your face every time she leaves. Isn't that what people do when they love each other?"

"It's... one of the things. But that can mean a lot of things. You get sad every time I leave for a weekend in the country because you know I won't be back for a few days, right?" Bruce asked her.

She just nodded, still unconvinced.

He noticed in that moment that she could see right through him. She knew that he had always been in love with Rachel. He wished he could spare his sister the heartache and educate her on the cruelties of the world. Tell her that not all people were good. That things happen that can't be undone. That people lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. That there might not be such a thing as true love, and if there was, he would never know, because the one person he does love doesn't love him back. That eventually everyone died alone, if they were unlucky enough, which most were. He had experienced all of these things first hand, and wished that this innocent little girl sitting in front of him, staring up at him wanting answers that he couldn't give, would never have to.

But that was inevitable.

--

The next year, Bruce was accepted into Princeton. Maddie was heartbroken when he and Alfred broke the news to her. Alfred explained that he owed it to himself to go. It was one of the best schools in the country. He would get a marvelous education and do all sorts of exciting things. Bruce said nothing. She decided that it would be easier to mark every day on her calendar, so that she could keep track of exactly how many days it would be before he left. She might miss it and he could forget to say goodbye. That wasn't something she was willing to risk.

Every one of those nights, she would cry herself to sleep. The thought of Bruce leaving was killing her. She was going to be abandoned by another person she loved. Who was next? Alfred? Rachel? She didn't have anyone else. Who would take care of her? Bruce showed up in the bedroom to calm her when she was borderline hysterical. He would stay until she fell asleep, after assuring her that he would visit and call as often as he could. He wouldn't be gone forever. It was only four years.

"Why can't you stay here?"

"Because, I just... I have to go. I have to go to school. Same as you." Bruce tried to explain, while stroking her hair. That was one of the many lame excuses he had given her over the past two weeks. He hated being the reason for her crying. She had no idea that he was hurting just as much, if not more, than she was.

But he had to go. He had to leave Gotham, at least for awhile. The manor was beginning to close in around him. Eventually it would crush him to the very core and he would become someone he didn't recognize anymore. That wouldn't do anyone any good. Maybe the anger and guilt would decrease over time. Maybe he would come back a changed man. A better man.

On his last night at home, Bruce walked into Maddie's room, prepared to comfort her one last time. But to his surprise, she was completely calm and tear-free, reading peacefully in bed. He walked over and sat on the edge, next to her, waiting. She didn't acknowledge him. Maddie had decided to ignore him if he were to come in to tell her goodnight, but the plan wasn't working like she had expected. She thought he would get the message, give up, and just leave. But he was just sitting there, staring at her absently. "I heard that Rachel came over today. Did you two play Monopoly or cards this time?"

"Monopoly. She let me win." Maddie answered, still not looking at him.

Bruce chuckled and removed a box from his pocket. "I don't know about that. You've beat me quite a few times. I never let you win."

"Yeah, right." she replied sarcastically, looking down at the present. "What's that?"

Bruce opened it and held up two necklaces. Each had a charm shaped like a half circle dangling from it. He placed one of them around her neck. She examined it admiringly. She never wore any jewelery, mostly so that the other kids wouldn't know just how wealthy her family was, but the necklace was simple. Elegant. "Isn't it supposed to be half of a heart?"

"It can be, but this ones not. It's very special. I saw it and thought of you." He pointed to the half moon outside of her window. "You were always looking at the moon when you were little. You wouldn't say anything, just stare at it for hours. That's what it reminded me of. Now when I'm gone, and you miss me, all you have to do is look at the necklace, and know that I'm somewhere else with the other half, doing the same."

Maddie hugged Bruce tightly, not wanting to let go. It was the best present she'd ever received. And that was including the jungle gym Alfred had built on the grounds when she was six.

"We're joined forever, Maddie. For life. I will always come back for you." Bruce promised her.

She sniffled and pushed some of the damp hair out of her face. Trying her very best not to cry. "I know."

--

The next morning, he was gone. The goodbye's were short and sweet. Bruce didn't want to upset Alfred or Maddie anymore than they already were. Alfred clasped her hand as the town car pulled out of the drive, and as soon as it was there, it wasn't anymore.

Alfred was sad. Maddie always knew when he was sad. He had an unmistakable expression that showed on his entire face. But he certainly didn't let it slow him down. "What about a nice cup of hot tea, Miss Madolyn? I think we could both use one."

Maddie nodded and followed him inside, after glancing back at the tire tracks one last time.

"Tonight you can choose the menu. Anything you like." Alfred told her as they headed into the kitchen.

This excited Maddie. She never got to choose the entire menu. Her mind drew a blank until she decided on the obvious choice. "French fries and strawberry milkshakes?" She says, as more of a question than a statement.

"So be it."

Maddie hopped off of the stool and ran into the other room to call and invite Rachel.

"Don't run, Miss Madolyn!" Alfred called after her.

--

Over the next year or so, Bruce would come home from school two weekends a month on the train. Though, Alfred would be a ball of nervous energy every Friday, worrying about the dangers of the public transportation system. But the two weekends a month soon were replaced by only one. Then the visits stopped altogether, and became long phone calls. And then, nothing at all. Bruce had blamed his studies but Maddie knew that couldn't be true. Her brother had never really been interested in anything. He had always excelled in academics, yes, but he never had any real passion for any of it. It all came too easily to him.

Those two years Bruce was at Princeton were two of the hardest for Maddie. Years she would never want to re-live later in life for anything in the world. Sure, she had Alfred. He would talk to her for hours on end about any subject she wished, but she always felt as if she was keeping him from his other duties. She only really watched him work once, but never again. She felt so badly watching him do all of that work by himself, that all she wanted to do was help. Alfred wasn't exactly getting any younger. But she knew better. All he would do is tell her to go and play or do something else girls her age should be doing.

For some reason or another, Maddie never did _those_ things. Her shyness had made it increasingly difficult to make and keep friends. She had a few at school but they never came to the Manor to play. They were too mesmerized by the fact that she lived in a mansion. Intimidated. Though, she had never bragged. She wasn't particularly proud of her living situation and secretly longed to live in a regular house like all of them. No. To be without the Wayne name would be enough. No one staring at you when you walk down the street, whispering "Isn't that her? What a lovely looking little girl. Such a shame what happened. They were such good people."

No, she didn't appreciate those people at all. They had no idea what it was like. It must be nice being on the outside looking in.

--

Bruce finally returned to Wayne Manor the night before Joe Chill's parole hearing. It was almost midnight when the black town car rolled onto the gravel drive. The headlights across the bedroom wall made Maddie wake up and peer out of the window. Bruce was standing, staring at the mansion, like he had never seen it before. She was confused as to why he looked like that, but figured it had something to do with their parents. Everything always came back to them with Bruce.

Maddie's eyes squeezed shut. She didn't want to think about. She had tried to avoid it, but it was impossible. She imagined what it must have been like staring at the man holding a gun on them. Watching as he inched closer, pulled the trigger, and finally watching them with agony as they died on the street. For nothing. For money and jewels. How senseless was that? She had never known her father, but from what she had been told, he would have given everything he had to the man had he of just asked. Why did he have to kill them? And why did he leave Bruce there to pick up the pieces? Something he was still doing to this day.

It was a feeling that she could never understand and that killed her. She wanted to feel what Bruce felt. To have known them, to have loved them, like he did. Instead, she had boxes of family photographs. Not many from after she was born, but several from the years before. That was all she knew of them.

_Joe Chill_. The name made her skin crawl. Of course, the only reason she knew the name of the man that killed her parents was because of a newspaper article that was left out in the kitchen one morning when she was ten. She stared at it for awhile, confused, not knowing quite how to feel about it. She guessed that was a good thing.

Maddie was brought out of her thoughts when a car door slammed. Bruce was staying in a hotel again. He never liked to be there at night.

--

The next morning, Bruce and Rachel were talking in the study, and Maddie was trying her damnedest to hear them through the door. She could only make out _then why is your boss letting him go... testifying..._ and _Carmine Falcone_, whoever that was. She wanted to know more about the hearing, but no one was telling her anything. Least of all Alfred. He was a lost cause.

As she leaned closer, the door suddenly opened, and Bruce was standing in front of her. Not because she was listening. He had known she was there all along. So much for eavesdropping. He took her hand and they walked out to the garden.

"I want to come with you. Why won't you let me?" Maddie argued, seated alongside Bruce on a bench.

Bruce shook his head. "It's out of the question. You don't need to see any of this. I'll be there for the both of us."

"It's _not_ fair." Maddie shouted, staring up at him. She couldn't remember when she had ever been more angry with him. They were her parents too. What gave him the right to deny her this one thing? She took a breath, calmer now. "I want to see him. Bruce, I _have_ to see him. Please. You'll be there too. I won't be alone."

Bruce could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Anger bubbling to the surface. He could feel the steel from the gun against his leg. There was no going back. He couldn't let this pass. "No. This is my fight... not yours. I won't let it be." He pulled her close to him and could feel her tears staining his sweater. "It'll all be over soon."

--

Bruce never came back from the hearing. Where was he? What happened? A million scenarios rushed through Maddie's imagination. What if he was lost? What if the driver had left him at the courthouse, he couldn't get back home, and was stuck in the Narrows on foot? What if he were mugged or someone had hurt him? She didn't want to think any of the thoughts, but she couldn't help herself.

Where was he? Why hadn't he called?

After hours of debating with herself, Alfred led her away from the picture window and assured her that Bruce was fine. He just needed some time to himself.

She wasn't convinced.

--

Joe Chill was dead. The morning paper had confirmed it and it was all over the news. Before quickly scanning the pages of the Gotham Times for more information, Maddie had assumed Bruce had been the one to do it. She just hoped he had gotten away it. He would never last in prison. Then... The Falcone crime family had been accused and were currently under investigation.

"Rachel, what if something's happened to him?"

Rachel held Maddie as she cried on her shoulder, with a guilty look on her face. _Why did she look guilty?_ Maddie thought. She hadn't done anything.

--


	2. The Return of a Wayne

**A/N:**This also takes place during Begins. It tends to jump around to different parts, but if you've seen the movie, figuring out the time frame won't be that difficult. I didn't want to go over the entire thing, since this is essentially a TDK fic. Enjoy :)

--

Bruce never came back to Gotham after the day of the hearing.

For six months, Maddie would jump whenever the phone rang and diligently checked the mailbox every day after school. But there were never any phone calls or letters. It was as if Bruce had dropped off the face of the planet. Eventually, she just stopped answering the phone... checking the mailbox. Maybe she had just stopped caring. There was no telling anymore. But he was always in the back of her mind.

--  
_**2 years later.**_

Rachel had become a satisfying replacement for Bruce. Despite her being in law school and busying herself with studying, and her dreams of becoming a public servant, she always made time for Maddie. She would take her out for coffee or to a late lunch and they would talk for hours about anything. They would tell each other about the men in their lives, or the lack there of. Neither of them had been any good at relationships. Especially Maddie, who found most of the boys her age to be simple and uninteresting. That being said, she was still the most popular among them, and was constantly being asked out on dates, or even more horrifying, a trip to the broom closet during lunch period. Both scenarios made her cringe, so she rejected them all on both offers.

It was funny, but Bruce rarely came up in their conversations, and when he would, a dark look would come over Rachel. One of pain and longing. It was obvious that she still loved him. That she'd always loved him. Rachel had never said that to her directly, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Every time that would happen, jealousy would run through the teenager's veins like ice water. She wanted to love someone like that, and even better, have them return her feelings.

Rachel shook her head absently, sipping her coffee. "It doesn't just happen. You have to find the right person. Not just the 'right now' guy. But the one who's going to stick around when you're at your worst." She stopped for a moment and glanced at the traffic out of the window. "Someone who won't leave."

There it was again. Maddie smiled. "Oh, come on, Rachel... look at you. You're smart, successful, and not to mention gorgeous. You're not giving yourself enough credit."

"Most of the time I don't feel all that amazing." Rachel responded dryly. She checked her watch. "Do you have to be somewhere?"

"Nope. No more classes today. Thank God. Why?" Maddie asked, rummaging through her purse for her cell phone.

Rachel shrugged, putting some money down on the counter. "I don't know. I have this case I'm sitting in on. Thought you might want to tag along. You're always..."

Maddie's eyes lit up. "A real case? Seriously?!" She'd always asked Rachel to tag along, but the cases were either too brutal or too boring. There were other excuses as well, but none were very believable. "Is he an axe murderer... something like that?"

Rachel could only laugh. Maddie's fascination with criminals had become a source of amusement for her over the years. She wished she had the same sense of humor. Most of the things she saw at her job, even if it was only an assistant position, no one should have to witness. "I worry about you sometimes," Rachel told her, ruffling some of her hair. "But no, nothing so glamorous, I'm afraid."

--  
**_4 1/2 years later._**

Then, after years of silent hope, the day had come.

Maddie was going through her usual afternoon routine at Gotham High School. Weaving in and out of the endless sea of Senior students, like herself, trying to make it to her locker without being trampled. Were they ever going to build that new addition to the back of the G building? The school was overcrowded as it was.

She turned when a hand tapped her shoulder. Adam Valenti. He had been her lab partner for the past year. He was actually one of the only guys in school she could stand to be around for more than five minutes without having an upchuck reflex. "Hey, Adam. What's going on?"

Adam shrugged, walking next to her. His movements were jerky. Sort of nervous. It was hard to control himself, emotionally or otherwise, around a girl like Maddie Wayne. He often forgot how to construct words and even sentences. She was probably the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life. Not a girl, woman. The most beautiful woman. Even better, she had no idea. "Nothing much. I was just going to ask if we were still meeting up on Friday to review for the midterm?"

"Oh, absolutely. I mean, I hope so." She said, with a chuckle. "I can't exactly afford to _not_ study right now. Oh, did you hear back from Harvard yet?"

Adam shook his head, leaning against his locker. "Not yet. Hopefully in the next few days. I probably won't even get in. Let alone early acceptance."

"With your grades? I don't think you'll have much of a problem."

Suddenly, three random guys slammed Adam against his locker head first. He doubled over in pain, trying to play it down for her. He didn't want to seem like a helpless geek... which he kind of was. Some things never changed.

"Hey!" Maddie screamed after them. One of the guys turned and she recognized him. Brian. Why, oh why, did she make out with him last year at that party? She could recall even letting him graze her breast for more than a few seconds. The thought disgusted her. She leaned down to check Adam over. He had a long red mark on his face, but no permanent damage. She had seen him endure worse over the years. "You okay? That didn't look pleasant. At all." She laughed, trying to keep a straight face.

Adam couldn't help but laugh too. "No, it wasn't. At all. Thanks for the concern. I see we're already getting in some practice for med school."

"Don't hold your breath." She told him as her phone started going off. It was Alfred's ringtone. Why would he be calling now? He never called when she was still in school. Though she was a Senior and it wasn't uncommon for kids to answer phone calls, leave in the middle of class, and not come back. That always made her angry for some reason. It had to be an emergency. "Alfred? What's wrong?" She said, phone to her ear.

"Miss Madolyn... he's come home." She stayed silent. He? Who was he? No, it couldn't be. "What?" She asked.

"Master Bruce."

Maddie smiled as heat rose to her face and nervous energy overtook her entire body. "Alfred, I swear, if this is a joke... I'm running off to join a convent and never speaking to you again." That seemed like a valid threat.

"That would be a shame." A familiar voice said on the other end. "Devastating all of those boys lined up to take you out. We may have to move."

He was really home. She knew he would sound the same as the day he left.

--

That night, they had a celebratory dinner to welcome Bruce back to Gotham. Alfred went all out, more so than usual, and put out everything that was in the kitchen. Even the things that had been there for awhile.

When he started to clear the table, Maddie and Bruce both insisted on helping because of the huge mess they had made. At some point during the feast, it had turned into an all out food fight between them. The look of horror on the butler's face was something for the history books. But he shrugged it off, without bothering to try and stop them.

After Alfred had gone with the plates, Maddie was still working on her mashed potatoes. Bruce stared at her intently from across the table. She knew he was waiting for her to ask questions that she had been avoiding. It had been such a great day. Why ruin it? But, her head took over. "We thought you were dead."

"I was for awhile." Bruce said, picking at his carrots.

He may have sounded the same, but something had happened to Bruce. Something life changing. Maddie could only imagine what. "Where did you go?"

"All sorts of places." Bruce sighed, trying to find the words. This had been so much easier to rehearse in his head on the plane. Saying it out loud was a different thing all together. "I was very angry after I came back."

"At me?" She asked.

"No. No, of course not. At-- a lot of things. I know it hurt you when I didn't come back. And Alfred. I just want to move on. I'm ready to move on here in Gotham. I can make this up to both of you." Bruce explained, resting his chin on his palm.

Maddie was skeptical. She had spent her whole life trusting him and all he had done for the past seven years was let her down. She couldn't even look him in eye.

"Maddie. Look at me. Please."

His voice was calm and undemanding. At least he wasn't playing the big brother card. He knew he had messed up and was only trying to make it right. So, Maddie did as she was asked. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "We can get through this. We're a family, the three of us." Bruce said.

He reached in his pocket and put the necklace on the table. He still had it after all of this time. The silver was worn and it looked like it had been through hell and back. But he still had it. That's all that mattered. Suddenly, all of the pent up anger from the last seven years diminished.

Funny how that happened with brothers.

--

It was three months until graduation and Maddie was growing more restless by the day. She was still waiting to hear back from colleges, notably med school in Gotham, one of the best in the country. Her academic adviser assured her that she was a shoe in and because of her exceptional grades, should have no problem with being accepted. But, of course (always prepared), Maddie had applied to four other schools she was only mildly interested in. One of them was in Italy, another in Prague, and the other two in New York.

Any other girl her age would be thrilled for the opportunity to go to a school in another state or country to get away from their families and gain independence. But she loved Gotham, and despite the painful memories it held, it was her home.

She would most likely have a hard time leaving anyway. Once, she had left the applications on the dining room table, and after returning from the kitchen, found Bruce standing over them with a morbid look on his face. That look was common. It was one of his only expressions nowadays. He'd been spending too much time alone on the grounds.

"You do know that prostitution is legal in Prague?" Bruce said, standing in her doorway.

Maddie rolled her eyes, throwing a piece of paper in the garbage. "That's Amsterdam! You're secretly worse than Alfred. Do you realize that?"

He moved into the bedroom and slowly paced the floor, one hand on his hip. "I don't want you trekking off to some other country that you've never even visited. There's no reason why..."

Before he could finish, a pillow was thrown at the side of his face. He quickly caught it with one hand. Maddie was almost shocked but didn't let it show. His reflexes used to always be something of a running joke. Now, they were almost inhuman. She also noticed that his sky diving habit had become some kind of a strange obsession as of late. The bruises were becoming more and more noticeable. "Bruce, stop. You're going to give yourself a coronary." She pointed to the bruise on his arm. "Sky diving?"

He nodded, pulling his sleeve down over it. "I need to be more careful."

Maddie put her pencil down and pushed her notebook aside, giving Bruce her full attention. "Look, if it's any consolation, the woman practically forced me into applying to those other schools. They're just backups. I want to go to med school here, and if I'm accepted, I will." She leaned back in her chair, and nodded at the television. A newscast about the latest criminal acts was being broadcast. "I've always wanted to help people, and there are so many casualties happening in Gotham every day. I'd be selling myself short to go anywhere else."

She rolled her eyes as a reporter began discussing the latest Batman sighting in the Narrows. She never understood this Batman guy. Obviously he was just a normal person like everyone else, unless he had some sort of military training, which most of the police themselves had. Who appointed him Gotham's savior? "And then you have this guy who thinks he's some sort of a... what, bad ass...?"

Bruce's head snapped from Maddie back to the television. He quickly shut it off. "Seems like he's trying to make a difference."

"Give me a break!" She continued, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. "How is being a vigilante making any kind of difference? This guy, he's fighting violence with violence. That won't do anything but create more. He's just as bad as the criminals he hunts for. Whether he likes it or not."

Bruce took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. He couldn't exactly disagree with her. How would that look? "The bat guy--"

"Batman." She corrected with a laugh. "Apparently that's what everyone is officially calling him."

He had also known that. Bat guy sounded mundane enough for him to get away with. His _Bruce Wayne_ image had to be upheld after all. "_Batman_ isn't the first person to take the law into his own hands. People have been doing it for years. They just normally don't wear costumes."

"Why does he need a costume then? Why is he hiding himself from the public? He's obviously ashamed of what he's doing." Maddie wasn't as captivated by this Batman as everyone else in Gotham was. It was all anyone talked about anymore. The only person who seemed to agree with her was Rachel, who had her own valid suspicions about the caped crusader. At least Rachel was trying to do something good. She was working within the law to change things.

Bruce didn't have an answer for her. He only shrugged, changing the subject. "Don't you have that exam on Friday that I saw you studying for the other day with... glasses..."

"Adam."

"Right, Adam. How is Adam?" Bruce asked, fiddling with one of her knickknacks on a shelf.

Translation. Are you sleeping together... what are his intentions... is this guy really right for you? She knew Bruce too well. It was scary. "I don't know. Maybe you can call and ask him. I'm sure he'd be glad to hear from you." She retorted, smiling down at her paper. "Seen Rachel since you've been back?"

"Last week at that hotel benefit. It... I don't think it went very well. It was awkward."

"Of course it was awkward. You haven't seen her for seven years. She probably thought you were dead like everyone else." She stopped, looked up at him. "Wait a minute, you brought the European models didn't you?"

He didn't respond. There was her answer. No wonder it was awkward. "I love you, but you're such a jerk. That is so typical."

Bruce knew she was right, though in his own defense, he wasn't expecting to run into her. Rachel didn't seem like the type to even attend something like a benefit for an overpriced hotel. That he now owned. Damn it. He couldn't even remember why he'd bought it. Oh yes, the pool area. "You should invite Adam over for dinner sometime."

"What for?" she demanded.

"Is it a crime to want to get to know the kid who's wooing my sister?" he replied.

Everyone had assumed that she and Adam were together, but it just wasn't the truth. He was just a nice guy that she happened to be friends with. Couldn't males and females just be friends and nothing more? "He's my lab partner, Bruce. No ones wooing anybody. That's the last thing I need to be thinking about, anyway, with all of these exams coming up."

She straightened in her seat. "Nice try at diverting the subject from your love life to mine though. Very commendable."

Bruce sighed. It was no use getting any personal information out of his sister. He had realized since he'd been back just how dedicated she was to her education and future. She had real goals. Real things that she wanted to achieve. As much as she was embarrassed to hear it every time he told her, he was proud of her. That was more than he could say for himself at her age.

He felt a draft coming from somewhere close by. He glanced over, realizing that the window by the bed was wide open.

"You need to start locking this." Bruce commented, closing the window himself.

Maddie giggled to herself. "Now who's been watching to much news? Besides," she continued with an eye roll, "We have our own personal savior. Some idiot civilian running around in a bat get-up. I'm sure if anything were to happen, he would save the day."

"I don't watch television." Bruce responded dryly.

--


	3. The End Of A Generation

--

**A/N: Thanks for all of the sweet comments.**

**I wanted to address all of the reviewers but you guys basically said the same thing. YES, I will be getting into TDK and The Joker soon enough. The only reason I'm delving into Begins like this is to establish Maddie as a character. I've read too many fanfics with OC's being thrown into the mix out of nowhere, in TDK-based stories, and the reader knows nothing about them other than the fact that they've suddenly fallen for The Joker... which is completely believable seeing as though it's Heath ;) But aside from that, I wanted this to be a bit different. **

--

Two weeks after exams, Maddie and Alfred were busy working with the caterers and count them... _three _party planners for Bruce's birthday. It was all set to take place in the front Fourier in three days. Maddie helped Alfred move a huge box of decorations into the living room. There was junk scattered everywhere, much to his dismay. He never did like mess.

Maddie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Would you like me to fetch you a sweater from upstairs, Miss Madolyn?" Alfred asked her.

"No, I'm fine Alfred. Thank you." She responded, watching the hard rain as it hit the window. Bruce had been gone for hours, which was probably a good thing. Most of his gifts weren't even wrapped yet and were laying in random places throughout the house. But it was getting close to midnight. "I wonder where Bruce is?"

Alfred walked over to the piano and began cleaning it off with a rag. "I'm sure he'll be back in good time. I thought he said he was going out with Miss McManus earlier this evening."

"Tracey McManus?" Maddie snorted. Ugh. The horror. "God, I hope not. Do you know how much money she squeezed out of her last husband after their divorce? Eight figures!"

Alfred gave her a discouraging look. "Come now. She seems like a lovely young woman."

"A gold digging fiend is more like it. I refuse to become her in-law. I'd rather hang myself, or her, preferably." Maddie exclaimed, touching the blazing fire with a poker. She had no idea why her brother chose the loosest women in Gotham to spend his spare time with. He had never introduced her to any of them. That was a good sign at least. It meant it wasn't too serious.

Alfred shook his head. "I doubt Master Wayne is planning on marrying any time soon."

Maddie plopped down on the couch and started wrapping a cologne bottle in red paper. "He could meet someone. Who wouldn't want to marry Bruce? He's kind, considerate, not all that bad looking... not to mention loaded. Aside from his constant disappearing with no explanation, he's almost the perfect catch."

After Alfred didn't respond for several moments, Maddie eyed him suspiciously. He seemed irked by the idea of Bruce being married. Had he met someone serious and no one had told her? "Alfred...?"

"Mm hm?" He mumbled, reaching for something in a cabinet.

Maddie smiled and leaned over the couch. Oh, yeah. He definitely knew something. "He's not with Tracey? He's met someone hasn't he?" She asked excitedly, clapping both hands together. No answer. This was unbelievable! How long did they both think they could keep this from her? "Alfred, come on! Who is she? Do I know her? How long have they been...?" She questioned.

"I assure you, Madolyn, it's not a wom..." Before he could finish his sentence, something started to beep. And not just a small beep, but loud, like a buzzer. Maddie looked around wildly, startled. She covered her ears. It was so piercing. Where was that coming from? "What is that?!" She yelled over the noise.

Alfred quickly shuffled out of the room, and out of sight. She had never seen him move that fast. "Alfred?!" Maddie shouted, getting to her feet. She followed him out of the room and down the long hallway. "Alfred?!"

"Everything is fine, Miss Madolyn. You can proceed with the gift wrapping. I'll be along shortly." He responded frantically, not looking back at her.

"Alfred, what's going on?" Maddie demanded, following him into the study. The noise continued to grow and she had to cover her ears again. If this had happened before, there's no way she couldn't have heard it. As soon as she got to the open doorway, she stopped, watching with confusion at the sight before her.

Alfred was looking back at her nervously. One hand on a piano key. The other on a cell phone she'd never seen before. A secret door in the bookshelf was open.

"What in the hell is going on?"

--

After Alfred had left her at the Manor and drove off in the town car, Maddie became even more disoriented. He had given her no explanation... just told her everything was going to be alright and that she needed to stay behind. That it wasn't safe.

What had he meant by that... not safe?

She sat alone in the study in the same spot Alfred had left her two hours ago. Her eyes darted to the bookshelf as it suddenly slid open. Alfred stood there with a horrified look on his face, half-drenched with rain. That was when she knew.

_Bruce_. It had to be.

"Where is he?" Maddie asked, with a cracked voice.

Alfred moved towards her slowly and they embraced. She stared past his shoulder into the open doorway. There was nothing but black. He looked up at her uneasily and touched the side of her head like a father would. "Miss Madolyn, I need you... to follow me. There's something you need to know." He stood, holding out his hand to her. "Something you should have seen long ago."

Without asking any questions, Maddie cautiously let Alfred guide her through the doorway and into the dark hallway. "Watch your step." Alfred warned her, as they reached the elevator shaft and went down. The doors opened and there was even more darkness. Maddie touched the damp walls curiously with her fingertip. They reached a steel door, and as Alfred opened it, there was a small amount of light. But it wasn't a room. It was an underground cave. Underneath Wayne Manor to be exact. Maddie used go down there when she was young, but could never stay for more than a minute or so. It had always scared her.

She looked over at Alfred who stared across the room sadly. Her eyes followed his gaze and there he was.

It was Bruce, dressed in the Batman suit, lying on a table, near death.

The first thing that came to her mind was how different he looked on television.

--

Bruce was Batman. Bruce. Was. Batman.

That sentence had played out in Maddie's head more than a hundred times over the past two days. The only logical question she really had was how she could not have known after all of this time. It was ridiculous, really. She felt like an idiot. No, she was an idiot. A perceptive individual such as herself not realizing that her big brother, Gotham's famous billionaire playboy, was the Batman? That he only acted a certain way in public so that people wouldn't find out his secret. Did she even know him? Really know him?

Lucius Fox appeared at the top of the staircase. "Woken up yet?" He asked.

Maddie shook her head. "Not yet. I didn't get a chance to thank you before for helping. He would have died otherwise."

"It wasn't any trouble. Anything I can do to help." Lucius said, holding out his hand. "Nice to see you again."

Maddie smiled at him as he disappeared inside the room. The only reason she was out in the hallway was out of fear. She hated to see Bruce in that state. The first day was the worst, with all of his mumbling and cold sweats. She guessed he had been having nightmares, but couldn't be sure.

This Batman thing was never going to completely sink in with her. She wasn't going to accept it lying down. Obviously he had convinced Alfred's of his motivations for becoming a vigilante, and she partly understood why he would turn to such measures, but she had serious doubts.

One thing was certain. If he got himself killed, she'd resurrect him from the fucking grave and kill him again.

--

Maddie had spent an entire day listening to Bruce's explanations and justifications and had just about enough. At one point, she had to leave the room and take a breather. It was all too much. It was almost as if he didn't acknowledge the fact that she would worry about him every time he left the house. Worry whether or not he would come back dead or alive. That wasn't exactly a small thing. Bottom line: The whole Batman thing was still sinking in. She would just have to learn to accept it over time. But today was not that day.

Today she was still pissed.

It was the night of the big birthday party and Bruce had been lounging around in a robe and pajamas most of the day. His strength had come back fast after the being given the anecdote. He refused to stay in bed and was busying himself with various things throughout the manor. Mostly helping Alfred move furniture around to make room for the guests.

Then the worst thing that could have happened... happened. Rachel wasn't coming to the party. Instead, she had decided to play Nancy Drew and find out who murdered her boss, Carl, and why. Even to Maddie that seemed like a dumb thing to do. Bruce, of course, was determined to save her from herself.

"But what about the party? We've been planning this for weeks!" Maddie questioned, stepping off of the elevator behind him.

"I'll try my best to get back before it starts, okay? Just help Alfred hold down the fort. You've always been better at mingling than I have." Bruce said, taking out the batsuit from a dresser. "It's Rachel, Maddie. You know I don't have a choice."

"No, you have a choice. You're just choosing her." She said, pulling him into a hug. "Which is completely understandable. Be careful. Bring her back safe."

Bruce noticed her staring down at the suit. "What is it?" He asked, checking it over.

"No, nothing, it's just the suit. It's kind of cool. A little dark for my taste, but definitely not as bad as I thought." Maddie told him. She still couldn't believe all of the things she had said before she knew he was Batman. Some of it she didn't even mean, but most of it she did. It was different now. The persona was slowly becoming a part of him.

Bruce only smiled back. He felt relieved that she knew. It was always harder to pretend with family.

--

The party had been in full swing for about an hour and, surprisingly, the guests weren't catching onto the fact that the reason for being there hadn't shown up yet. Rich people loved their free champagne and finger food. The guest of honor wasn't relevant.

Maddie checked her watch. When she looked up to go and find Alfred, Cristina Davenport was standing in front of her with that fake, toothy smile of hers. Just what she needed. A stuck up model she had spent one night talking to out of boredom actually remembered her. "Cristina... hi! It's so nice to see you again."

Cristina gave her a side hug, and took a sip of red wine from her glass. "You too. I saw you across the room and could barely believe it." She looked Maddie up and down, eyeing her diamond bracelet. "I like. New boy toy?"

"Harry Winston." Maddie said, only half-listening.

"Even better. So, where's Bruce? This party is for him. I was hoping that we could chat a bit."

"Oh, I'm sure he's around... somewhere. He always is. Edward couldn't make it tonight?" Maddie asked, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray.

Cristina shook her head, leaning against a table. "No. He sends his regards. Prince's are great company but very unreliable. And forget about taking anything seriously. Everything is one big, fucking joke. I'm sure you know what I mean. Wait... you're still in high school aren't you? High school guys must be different."

"Oh, they're all pretty much the same. Not as exciting as a Prince, I'm sure..."

Suddenly, everyone in the room started to sing happy birthday and Bruce was walking through the doorway. Maddie was relieved. Not only did he not appear to be injured, but he had on the suit she had left out for him. At least he was dressed better than usual.

"Happy birthday, Bruce." Cristina said as Bruce made his way over to them.

Bruce looked to Maddie. He had no clue who she was. Maddie mouthed _Davenport_. "Miss Davenport. Thank you for coming. You're having a nice time I hope?"

"I am now."

Maddie spotted a group of men bunched together watching the small television on the bar across the room. She could make out the bat-mobile rushing through the streets, police cars flying everywhere... it was a mess. "Will you excuse us for a moment? I just need to borrow him." Maddie said, leading Bruce to the side.

Bruce picked up a glass of champagne. "Nice save. I thought she'd never stop. Where do I know her from?" Bruce asked, confused.

"The fashion show in February." She pointed at the television. "Did you... do that?"

Bruce unsuccessfully tried to straighten his tie, glancing over. "Some of it."

"And Rachel?"

"She's fine. She was poisoned at Arkham, but I gave her the anecdote in time. Alfred's driving her home."

Maddie sighed, closing her eyes. "Thank God." She lightly slapped his hand away from the suit and straightened his tie herself in only a few seconds. "Good to go."

"How do you do that?" Bruce asked with a smirk.

Maddie shrugged, putting down her empty champagne glass. "It's a gift. Now go and mingle with your guests. They're here for you." Bruce sighed and made his way over to Lucius, who had been hovering over the buffet table all night. "That's not what I meant by mingling." Maddie said.

Oh, well. At least he was making new friends.

Ten minutes later, Maddie had lost track of Cristina and was left to fend for herself in the room full of old people. True, Cristina wasn't her favorite person, but at least she was close to her age. Why did Rachel have to go and get herself poisoned? This always happened to her.

"Madolyn? Madolyn, darling...?" A voice called from behind her. She turned and saw Mrs. Delane, who was the wife of a prominent Senator.

Maddie smiled at her. "Mrs. Delane. Your dress is amazing."

"Oh, thank you dear. I want you to meet someone. He was just wondering around the room, the poor man, and all I've been able to get out of him is the word Bruce. I assumed he knew your brother." She looked over to the man, who was now standing beside her, but keeping his distance. "This is his sister, Madolyn Wayne. Madolyn this is Ra's Al Ghul."

Madolyn held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. How do you know Bruce?"

The man only nodded as he shook her hand. She guessed he didn't understand her. He also looked somewhat out of place. Instead of a suit, he wore a green overcoat with something pinned to his shoulder. It looked like a flower but she couldn't be sure. Ra's Al Ghul. Where did she know that name?

Mrs. Delane caught Bruce by the arm as he passed by. He glanced at Maddie. He hated being cornered by old friends of their parents. "Here he is. Bruce this is... am I pronouncing this right, Mr. Ra's Al Ghul?"

Bruce stared the man down as soon as Mrs. Delane said the name. He looked uneasy. "You're not Ra's Al Ghul. I watched him die."

Maddie suddenly remembered being told about Ghul. He was the man who taught Bruce how to fight while he was away. He had left after he tried to kill him. But this was not the man he described. Then... another voice. "But is Ra's Al Ghul immortal?" That was. He was tall, built and sort of on the scary side. Also not dressed for the occasion.

Mrs. Delane quickly became bored with their conversation and caught up with an old friend at the cocktail table.

"Surely a man who spends his nights scrambling over the rooftops of Gotham wouldn't begrudge me duel identities." Ghul said, looking to Maddie. She nervously looked away, wondering how they were going to get all of the guests out of the Manor. "You're Madolyn, I presume?" asked Ghul, stepping a few inches closer to them. "Bruce told me so much..."

Bruce immidiately held an arm out, blocking the very short distance between his sister and the madman. "Don't." He growled. "I saved your life."

Maddie winced at the change in his tone as she felt him push her body behind his. He was nervous. That was not a good thing. Only one of them could afford to be that and it wasn't him.

"You're welcome to explain the situation to them." Ghul stated devilishly, referring to the guests.

Bruce stared him down one last time before leading Maddie a few feet away. "Go downstairs and hide. Stay there. Do not come up until Alfred or I come and get you. Do you understand?" He asked her, seriously.

"I--" She stuttered, but it was too late to protest. He was already in the center of the room. "Everyone!" He called, clinking his glass.

When he started to stumble slightly, ramble on, and insult the guests, Maddie knew exactly what he was doing. Though she had never seen Bruce drink more than one glass of wine, let alone being drunk, he was somewhat convincing. But despite that, things were moving too slowly, and she decided to intervene. There was no need for him to make a complete ass of himself. They would eventually have to face these people again.

Bruce suddenly felt an arm slip under his own to steady him. This was exactly why he was so hesitant about telling her everything. Was she trying to get herself killed? He looked over at her, annoyed. "What do you think you're doing?" He whispered.

"You said play along. Cut me a break." she said with a smirk. "Ladies and Gentlemen," she continued, "you'll have to forgive my brother. He's a little... under the weather. There must be a case of bad shrimp somewhere. That being said, I really think it would be best if the party ended early. Feel free to collect your coats and purses from the dining room on the way out. I assure you everything is fine. Our apologies."

The guests talked amongst themselves and started to slowly filter out of the room. Some were worried about the shrimp and left faster than others.

Bruce leaned on Maddie as they headed back to the table. "Bad shrimp?"

"You'd rather be known as the asshole billionaire who got trashed at a party and threw his guests out?" she asked, glancing around the room. Ghul's men were easy to spot. They all wore black suits and ties. Didn't exactly take a brain surgeon. They all waited at least a minute until the room emptied completely.

When it did, Maddie felt hands pull her away from Bruce by her hair. "Get the hell off of me!" She shouted, struggling against him. But his grip only tightened. The pain was unbearable. She could feel her eyes start to water.

Bruce quickly moved to intervene, but Ghul extended his sword against his chest, and suddenly everyone stopped moving.

Bruce put a hand out, trying to reason with them. "She has nothing to do with this, Ra's. I got rid of everyone. We're face to face. I've done what you wanted without any complaints. Just let her go. Your quarrel is with me. There's no reason to..."

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not an unfair man, Mr. Wayne." Ghul waved his hand in the air. "Release her. At this point no one can stop us. Least of all a child."

The man threw Maddie onto the ground forcefully. Bruce didn't look away from Ghul. "Get out of here, Maddie. Now."

She nodded through her sobs and scrambled towards the study.

--

After minutes of nervous pacing in the basement, Maddie smelled smoke. She moved towards the elevator shaft and realized... it was coming from upstairs. Shit.

She heard a rumbling and stepped back as the elevator came to a crashing stop at the bottom. Bruce and Alfred were sitting inside, both blackened by the flames. She ripped the door open frantically. "Are you two alright?"

Bruce was staring up at the fire above them, in his own world. "What have I done Alfred? Everything my family, my father built..." Maddie watched as Alfred opened Bruce's jacket. Blood.

They exchanged worried glances, and she wasted no time in fetching the first aid kit. When she came back with the supplies in her arms, Bruce seemed more relaxed, and wasn't in much pain. He took a deep breath as Alfred began cleaning the wound. Maddie cringed, trying to peel her eyes away, but couldn't.

"Hey," Bruce said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Everything's alright. It's going to be alright." He reassured her.

All she could do was stare up at the flames and wonder if everything really was worth all of this.

--

A week later, all of the chaos in Gotham had pretty much blown over. People were still shaken by the toxin outbreak and the prisoners escaping, but things were slowly getting back to normal. As normal as anything could be that is.

Maddie still couldn't believe it as she stared at the black ruins. All of the memories she had of her parents was gone forever... in an instant. It hurt just thinking about it. More importantly, it wasn't fair. Most of the anger she didn't let show. They were all trying to be strong for each other. It worked better that way.

Bruce and Rachel had been talking closely for awhile. She had shown up earlier to see how everything was going. Now that Rachel knew that Bruce was Batman, she assumed things would become even more complicated between them.

Oh, now they were kissing. What?

Maddie couldn't help, but to look at the ground and smile. Maybe there was still some sort of a chance for them. She hoped so. But who knew.

She and Rachel exchanged a wave as she walked off of the grounds. Maddie headed over to Bruce, who was staring down at one of their Dad's old stethoscopes, burnt to a crisp. Bruce put an arm around Maddie's shoulder. "We'll rebuild it just the way it was. Brick for brick. You'll see."

"Just the way it was, Sir?" Alfred said, standing beside them.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

Alfred shrugged, taking hold Maddie's other hand. "Well, I thought this might be a good opportunity for improving the foundations."

"In the Southeast corner..." Bruce agreed, as the three of them began walking together.

"I vote we put in some lights, maybe some color? So, it's not so, you know, depressing... there's no reason to keep it so morbid." Maddie suggested.

"She does have a point, Sir."

--

**End Note: **And that concludes Begins! Finally, right? And now onto TDK... I promise I will bring The Joker in as soon as I possibly can.


	4. Denial

**A/N: **Small warning, if you're squeamish about domestic violence (which we all should be), the last part of the chapter refers to a lot of it. Sorry if it offends anyone. It wasn't meant to. Just another layer to the Maddie character.

--

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Maddie jolted out of her deep slumber, kicking several medical books off the edge of her bed. She reached for her cell on the bedside table, finally getting a grip on it. Who would be calling her this early? She was up late studying and really hated to be woken up the morning after. Usually her roommate Jane was the culprit.

"No one I know would call me at this hour." Maddie answered, eyes still closed.

There was a short pause, a breath, and then, "I had a little accident. I could use your expertise."

Maddie pulled the covers back over head. She should have known. "No one except for you. What time is it?"

"Almost eight." Bruce responded.

He sounded like he was in pain. "And why, sweet brother of mine, have you decided to call at such an ungodly hour on a day that I don't have class?" She sat up in bed, suddenly remembering what he had said. "What kind of an accident?"

--

Maddie locked her car and began walking alongside the gate at the Wayne Enterprises Private Property. She was still half-asleep, but couldn't exactly say no when Bruce called her injured. This was becoming more and more common. Mostly because she was closer to the property than Alfred. After graduation, she moved into her own apartment. It was a small, cozy place at the edge of the Narrows near Gotham General.

Bruce and Alfred hated the idea, but she wanted her own place. She rolled her eyes. The not having a driver was another issue entirely... Bruce and his paranoia.

She reached the large door and opened it with the key that only she and Alfred had. No one else got in. Rulo numero uno. As she walked inside, Bruce was sitting in front of the monitors at the desk stitching himself up. "Alfred here?" She asked him, tossing her purse on the tumbler. Well, more like tumbler number two.

Bruce shook his head, grimacing as he tried to remove one of the stitches. "I just got back. Came straight here."

Maddie stared down at his mangled arm. It looked like some kind of a bite mark. The stitch job was terrible. There were doubles in some places, none in others. The needle had pierced skin in the wrong places. "Looks like you've done more to yourself than what's been done to you." She held out her hand impatiently. Was it sick that she would actually enjoy doing this on a complete stranger? She had done this so many times for her brother, that she was an expert by now. Who knows when the teachers would finally get around to teaching it in an actual class.

He handed the needle over and leaned his head back. She sat down in the seat next to him, gently pulling out some of the double stitches. He started to jerk his arm to the side. "Hold still, huh?" She glared at him. "You should have called Alfred."

Bruce shrugged. "He gets less sleep than I do. Figured I've give him a break for once."

Maddie knew that was crap. Other than the fact that he might of needed help, she had been seeing less of them since starting school. On top of classes and hours of homework, she was one of the only Freshmen able to juggle all of that and a volunteer job at Gotham General. It wasn't really work to her though. She was able to volunteer in the children's ward and most of them had various kinds of terminal cancer.

The kids were great and everything but it was all kind of exhausting. She didn't have any energy to do anything else, let alone pick up the phone and let Bruce know she was okay. He could always do that himself, which unfortunately, he did too often. He even knew her roommate by name. Equally frightening.

"Is this long silent treatment supposed to be a guilt trip?" Maddie asked him, trying to to get a better look at the wound.

Her question confused him more than anything. "No. I mean... whenever you come by the penthouse it's either to do laundry or because _Alfred's_ guilted you into having a home cooked meal. Keyword being Alfred."

"Hey, I came over last week without any complaints!" She exclaimed, laughing. "And I'm sorry, but Salmon from Martine's doesn't count as a home cooked meal."

Bruce looked over at her shocked. How had she known? "Well, maybe I wouldn't be worried if you didn't insist on living in one of the largest growing areas for criminal activity in Gotham. Do you know how many muggings and attemptive rapes I've..."

Maddie sighed heavily. Not this again. "No, I don't know how many muggings or rapes you've stopped or how much the crime rate has gone up, but I'm sure you do. And like I've told you over a billions times... I'm fine. Besides, if I lived at the Penthouse I'd have to drive all the way into the city everyday and you know how I feel about long distances."

Bruce ran a frustrated hand through his hair. This fight wasn't worth having again. "The road is in danger from you. Not the other way around."

"Oh, that's very nice. I have a needle to your arm, by the way." Maddie warned.

Alfred's footsteps could be heard in the distance. "Be nice when Wayne Manor's rebuilt. You can swap not sleeping in a Penthouse to not sleeping in a mansion." He set a newspaper and an insulated bag on the desk. "My goodness. What have you done to yourself, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, lightly kissing Maddie's temple.

"She fixing it." Bruce said.

Maddie gave Alfred a side hug. She tried to hold back the laughter. He still thought Bruce was ten years old. "I'm fixing it. He _should_ have called me sooner."

"You practically took my head off for calling! What would you have done if I'd of called an hour earlier?" Bruce asked.

"I can take over for you if you'd like, Miss Madolyn." Alfred said, reaching into the first aid kid.

Maddie handed him the needle and wiped her hands off. "Be my guest." Her eyes widened when she saw the food inside of the bag. "Oh, food. Joy. Bruce, can I have some of your... I don't even know what this is... something with eggs."

"Have all you want. I'm not even hungry."

Alfred shook his head in amazement. "Between the both of your there's been more food thrown away than consumed." He took a closer look at the wound. "Did you get mauled by a tiger?"

"It was a dog." Bruce mumbled, barely audible. It was embarrassing enough to say out loud. Maddie and Alfred both looked at him with confusion. "A big dog."

Maddie sat indian-style on the tumbler and dug into the eggs with a fork. "Shouldn't your suit have some sort of a... rubbery or steeley thing to keep the puppies at bay?"

"My armor carries too much weight. I need to be faster." Bruce explained. He leaned over to him. "Are the keys in the..."

"Oh no, Sir. I think we learned our lesson the last time."

Maddie made a face at their backs. "I heard that." Okay. So she took one small joyride. But it was only around the room. She got a three hour lecture and would do anything to prevent herself from having to sit through that again. As if they couldn't afford another one.

"Who Rachel spends her time with is her business." Bruce told Alfred, standing from his seat.

Maddie glanced up at Harvey Dent's smiling face on the computer screen. She liked Harvey. He gave all of this money to the cancer wing at the hospital and was involved in important charities. He and Rachel invited her to dinner a few weeks back and she was shocked at how cool he actually was. From what she'd seen on television, she expected some stiff in a suit who only talked politics, but that wasn't him at all. He cared about making Gotham a safer, better place.

And more importantly, he made Rachel happier than she'd ever seen her. Poor guy. He had no clue what he was getting himself into.

"You said you'd met him, didn't you?" Bruce asked her, looking through his clean shirts.

Maddie nodded. "Yeah, Rachel introduced us. He seems nice enough. Very sincere."

Bruce only turned his back and took his shirt off in response. Maddie cringed, looking away from his bruised back.

Yeah, he definitely needed a new suit.

--

Maddie stepped off of the elevator and turned the key in her apartment door. Ah, the best part of her day. Coming home after two hours of kickboxing class. Even if she was sweating like a dog, it was relaxing and therapeutic.

"What smells so great?" She shouted over the music, throwing her keys on the coffee table.

The music lowered and her roommate Jane poked her head out of the kitchen. "Baked chicken and zucchini. Want a plate?"

Maddie's eyebrows raised, surprised. "Sure." Jane was a great roommate, but she could never remember her cooking. The new boyfriend must be giving her some pointers. She had been convinced of his homosexuality ever since the night the three of them spent in a sports bar. But that was another conversation for another time.

Another great thing about Jane was that she was never home. She was in law school and had twice as much homework as Maddie, and usually did it at the school library. She also worked as an intern at Harvey Dent's office three days a week.

Maddie plopped down and the couch and moved to pick up the remote, but it was in Jane's hand in half a second. "No, wait! I want to hear this." She turned up the volume. Another one of Harvey's press conferences.

Jane sighed, pulling her hair back in a messy bun. "Now THAT is a perfect man. Look at him."

"Janey," Maddie reclined her head back. "He's old enough to be your father. He's your boss."

Jane gave her a confused side glance. "...And?"

"And it's weird and creepy and kind of gross." Maddie answered. She smelled a distinct odor in the room and after realizing it was her, jumped over the back of the couch and headed for the shower.

"Still doesn't change the fact that he's gorgeous!" Jane called after her. "And intelligent and sweet... and taken." Jane finished with disgust.

--

Keeping something from the people in your life was never easy. Lately, Maddie had perfected it.

The bruises were never on the face. That was the only advantage. There weren't any questions that way. Things always came to mind to excuse the beatings.

He was drunk that night, not in his right mind. She did something that he misinterpreted. She pushed his buttons on purpose just to get him mad. She shoved first and he lost control. He had a bad day and she just happened to be there. The list went on and on. And every time it happened, it seemed to grow.

Scott was a good guy when they first met. An amazing one even. She had just started school and moved into her apartment. A new chapter in her life was beginning. They were both with their usual group of friends at a bar, and he approached her, and asked her to dance. She accepted. They danced for hours and he asked her to come back to his place. Much to her surprise, she also accepted. He was so sincere. So confidant. There was no one like him in her mind. He had the most beautiful, piercing blue eyes that no human being should have. It's just not fair to the rest of us.

They stayed in bed for three days until she was finally was forced to leave. She had a class and had never been the one to skip. He understood and admired her for that. From that day on they were inseparable. They got to know each others friends and she even introduced him to Bruce and Alfred once. Alfred liked him. Bruce was skeptical, but that was nothing new. It's just how he was about everyone outside of the family who was in her life. Though, he was impressed that he was a second year law student, and had been accepted to both Harvard and Yale.

Then things started to change. The change was slow and usually came when she least expected. He started to drink more heavily when they would go out and he would make up scenarios about what she had done when he wasn't looking. Made up because, of course, none of it was true. She was looking at this guy or that guy. She didn't really go to the bathroom, but sneaked out because she was bored with him. Wanted someone else. Who did she want? What was his name? How long has it been going on? Did she really think he didn't see what just happened right in front of his face? He was only across the room. He wasn't blind or stupid or challenged.

"How dumb do you think I am?" he would ask. "You're the dumb one. You belong to me."

_You belong to me. _Those words disgusted Maddie when she would think twice about them. No one should belong to anyone but themselves. Despite that, it didn't make her leave him. Not even close.

The beatings came next, but never in public, or in front of people no less. Especially ones that they knew. Sure, there were shoves. He would grab her wrist, arm, or even her hair. Throw her against walls. Grip her face tightly. They all just thought he was drunk and she could take it. They'd deal with it in private. The only thing that happened in private were the beatings, which mostly consisted of kicks to the stomach and shoving her body into walls and furniture, followed by the verbal berating. That usually went on for an hour or so. And then he'd leave.

Between the time he'd leave and when he'd call and apologize the next day were the best times. The calm before the storm. The same thing would happen time and time again. Almost like a routine. But she wouldn't leave him. Instead, she would forgive him and believe it when he said that he loved her and was sorry and would never hurt her for anything in the world. He would even cry sometimes. No one had ever cried over her, not like that.

When she finally got the courage to leave him almost two months ago, she called when she knew he wouldn't be there, and left a message on his cell. She cried through the whole thing and an hour after she hung up. Days later, she ignored his calls, his day and nightly visits, his letters and flowers. She was forced to break down to Jane and tell her what was going on. She was furious as hell and made her promise never to take him back. He was dangerous. She nodded her head in agreement, but a part of her was still with him.

After all of that, the break-ins started. He would break into the apartment when he knew no one was there and leave roses or letters for her. During those times, she would lie and tell Bruce that her apartment was being fumagated, new windows were being installed, or even that Jane's boyfriend never seemed to leave anymore, and just stay at the Penthouse for a weekend. The answer was always yes. She didn't even have to ask. Just show up with her things and she was taken care of. No questions.

Once, he filled the entire apartment with small, purple stuffed teddy bears. As sick as it was, she thought it was the most romantic thing ever. She cried. When he showed up that night, she let him in with open arms, and the routine started again.

These were the thoughts Maddie would ponder while standing naked in the shower. The dark bruises on her body reminded her and she hated herself. Maybe they would stop if she just stopped showering? No. That would never work.

Someone other than Jane had found out, but they swore not to say anything, and she believed them. She hoped the wounds would never make it to her face. Then she would have to start explaining.

--


	5. Denial Part Deux

--

Rachel walked through her door and hung her coat over a chair, more forcefully than she meant to.

The dinner was a disaster. No, scratch that. The dinner had only become a disaster when Bruce decided to show up out of nowhere with the ballerina. How had he known they were there? Or did he know? There was no way he and Natasha were a coincidence. No way in hell.

It had been planned for weeks. Booked in advance. She told Harvey on their first date that she wished she could get a reservation, just once, and yes she had tried, at The Matador. And to her surprise, he had remembered, and pulled some strings. It was the only night they'd both had off in months, in a year even, and before they'd even gotten a chance to order, in walked Bruce Wayne.

_Oh, they should. I own the place. _Damn him. He could be so arrogant sometimes. And the fundraiser... what was that?

She headed into the kitchen as the front door closed behind Harvey. He didn't look half as annoyed as she did. Not that anything ever annoyed him. He was very mild-tempered.

Harvey lied back on the black leather couch, resting his eyes.

"I'm having a glass of wine." She lifted the bottle off of the counter. "Want me to pour you a glass?"

He nodded. "Mm, yeah. That sounds good. Red or white?"

"White." She answered, pulling a glass out of the cabinet. But it was too small. When did she buy champagne glasses? Her hands were shaking. Damn it. Stop obsessing over tonight, Rachel. Stop it! As she reached farther back for the other glass, one of them fell onto the wood floor, shattering. She gasped, dropping immediately to retrieve the pieces.

Harvey was crouched down at her side within seconds, dust pan in hand. How did he do that? "Watch out, you'll cut yourself. I've got it." He grabbed the small broom behind her, and started sweeping. "Okay?"

Rachel nodded, back against the counter. "Yeah, I'm... I don't know what's wrong with me."

Harvey focused back on the glass, letting her stew a bit. He knew it was about Wayne. And yeah, it bothered him. Even though he had only met him that night, he didn't really care for him, and knew damn well how much he meant to her. It was obvious. He couldn't even muster up the courage to say anything. He was keeping his mouth shut.

"I guess this means you're staying the night again?" Rachel chuckled, putting a hand to her mouth. "If you're feeling brave. I might break something else."

Harvey dumped the glass in the garbage and pulled her up with both hands. "I'll let you in on a little secret." He brushed a hand across the back of her neck, undoing her necklace. "You could break all the glasses in this place, and I'd still want to stay the night."

"Would you?" Rachel asked him, a smile plastered on her face. He could always put a ridiculous grin on her face at random times. That was a good thing, she hoped.

His sleepovers had become more frequent over the past few weeks. Mostly because of all of the drama with the mob and such. At first, it was just a precaution. He told her he was worried about her going home alone at night, and started walking with her. The walking turned into a short visit. Short visit turned into a sleepover. Then when she would come home after him, after taking a cab, he'd be in her kitchen making dinner, and visa-versa. It was slowly but surely becoming a thing.

"On second thought, maybe you should go." Rachel said, facing him.

Not the reaction he was expecting. Normally he would say okay and just leave. But after tonight, he needed an explanation. "Why's that?"

"Because," Rachel continued, draping her arms over each of his shoulder blades, "I think I'm starting to like our, situation, a little too much."

Harvey smiled. That was more like it. "And what situation is that?"

"The one where you stay over every night, and we... do what we do, together. And in the morning, I wake up, and can't wait for us to do it all over again." Rachel explained. "I guess it just feels too normal. For me, anyway."

Harvey took her hand and they walked to the couch. He kissed her and all of a sudden, they were on top of each other. He stared down at her, pushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "There's nothing wrong with normal. People have normal relationships all the time."

"I know they do, and it's what I want. It's just, you know, now that it's happening, I don't know where to go from here. Do we..."

Harvey kissed her again, stopping her from finishing the sentence. He wished his intentions were honorable, but he was just avoiding the issue. Yes, he wanted to marry Rachel. He knew after their second date that she was the woman for him, and if it didn't work out, that he would in turn compare every other woman he was ever with to her. But tonight was proof that she wasn't ready. And that was okay. He could wait. He would wait.

When the kiss broke, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was heavy. Harvey raised an eyebrow, laying down next to her. "I'm sorry about tonight. Bruce, he was..."

"You don't have to apologize for him, Rachel." He said, cutting her off. "It's a fundraiser, it'll help my campaign. Not the end of the world."

Rachel looked over at him, unsure. "Really? Because I can tell him to cancel. I can _make_him cancel. Last time I checked, you won the election without his money or anyone else's. Well, that's not entirely true, but you know what I mean."

"He's trying to be helpful." Harvey said. Yeah, he knew that was a lie. Bruce was trying to impress someone, but it sure as hell wasn't him. "Unless, you're uncomfortable... for some other reason?"

Rachel thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "If you think it'll help your campaign, I'm all for it. I support that one hundred percent." She scooted her body against his and touched the side of his face. "I want us to be okay. Are we okay?"

"More than okay. We're as blissfully perfect as we could possibly be. Whatever that means." He said, as he kissed her on the forehead one last time, before climbing over the couch. "Wine would be a good way to relax, don't you think?"

Rachel groaned, rolling onto her side, with a forced smile. "Definitely."

But it was gone in an instant, and replaced by a frown. She was happy with Harvey. She was content. She was settled. She was... confused. Why did Bruce always do this to her?

--

"Would you like to come up?" Natascha asked Bruce, looking over at him. He was looking straight ahead at the busy street. A million miles away.

He finally turned to her, the question registering. "I'd like to, but I can't. Early day tomorrow."

"Billionaire duties, I presume?"

Bruce smiled at her weakly. He had to get out of there. His head was about to explode. "You could say that. Let me..." He said, moving to get out of the car.

She held up a hand, opened the door herself, and stepped onto the pavement. "I think I can handle it. You look like you could use some rest."

"You're probably night. I'll call you next week."

And that was that. At least the night hadn't been a total waste. He had gotten more of a sense about Dent and Natascha wasn't bad company. He actually enjoyed being with her, whatever that meant. She was good company. Simple as that.

Dent wasn't what he expected. He was much more sincere and focused than he had originally thought. He should have just taken Maddie's word for it. She was a good judge of character, though most of the time she saw the good too easily. Why couldn't he have just left it alone?

Now all he was thinking about was Rachel, and how perfect Harvey was for her. He could give her all the things that he couldn't. Things that she deserved.

No, he wouldn't give up. He couldn't. It was Rachel, his Rachel. The day was coming when the city would need a hero with a face, and now more than ever, everything in him was saying that hero was Harvey Dent.

When that day came, she would choose him. She had to. He hoped.

--


	6. It Ends Tonight

**A/N:** Flashbacks are in _italics_.

--

Maddie squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the page in front of her. But it was no use. Coffee. That's what she needed. More Coffee.

"Okay," Adam said, returning to the table. "I think I found the one you were looking for. I'm not sure, but it looks..."

Maddie snatched the book from him. Still no luck. "No, that's not it. I gave up an hour ago anyway." She rested her head on her forearm, giving him a questioning look. "How is it that you're so productive at one in the morning?"

Adam only shrugged, flipping through some newspapers. "It's part of my charm. What can I say." He stopped on a page, recognizing a name in bold print. "Your brother seems to be keeping himself busy." He said, tossing the paper in front of her.

LOVE BOAT: BILLIONAIRE ABSCONDS WITH ENTIRE RUSSIAN BALLET

She rolled her eyes. Bruce, of course, was in Hong Kong on some god awful mission. That's all she could get out of him anyway. Alfred was the one on the boat with the ballerinas. That reminded her, she needed to call him. They hadn't spoken in a few days. "I'd like to say that I'm in shock, but I won't."

"He's always been the colorful one."

"That he has." Maddie responded, taking a better look at him as he read the article.

Was it just her, or had he gotten better looking since high school? No, it wasn't just her. He had somehow turned into this gorgeous guy overnight. She had been noticing it more lately. When they would go out with their group of friends, he was always the one with the most numbers at the end of the night. He'd switched from glasses to contacts, his hair was a pale shade of dirty blond. He obviously worked out when he had time, his arms were... She focused on the librarian behind the desk. No more thinking about this tonight, or this morning, whatever.

They didn't see each other as often as she'd like. He was studying journalism at another university in Gotham, and was so dedicated. Always giving a hundred and twenty percent. Studying while other people he knew were partying. For some reason, he passed up the chance to go to Harvard. Who knew why. She suspected it had something to do with her, but never pressed the issue. That wasn't something they'd ever talked about. Maybe they never would.

"How's this for a subject? Current events." Adam asked her, holding up an article.

What was that? She took a closer look. It was a horrible surveillance photo of a scrambled, laughing face painted in white. Oh, the guy from television. They called him the Joker. Bruce never talked about him, but whenever there was a newscast, he payed close attention. No one had caught him yet. Not Bruce. Not the police. If he was insane, like he seemed to be, he was also smart. "Mass murdering clown." She read out loud. "There's a first time for everything, I guess."

"It's either the clown or the Batman, and I've heard enough him. Time for a change."

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "Want to hear my theory?" She smiled at him. "I think you're the Batman."

"Oh, really?" Adam laughed, leaning back in the seat.

Maddie nodded. "Secretly sneaking out of your dorm at night and saving the people of Gotham from criminals. It would explain all of the time you spend studying, alone."

"Seems a little far fetched. I can't even pictured him as human. Walking around like the rest of us, living his life. Oh, speaking of which," Adam continued. "I can't go to the fundraiser thing at Bruce's at the end of the month. I have to interview this guy for the paper. He's some kind of a scientist, apparently. I don't know. But I have to wait for him, because he has all of these other meetings that day, and..."

Maddie leaned across the table, taking a stab at her best cop imitation. "Right. Or are you?"

"I'd rather be running around in a suit than doing this. Trust me." He answered.

He looked down at their hands, only inches apart. Their eyes met and he realized he was blushing. He tried to look away, but couldn't. The brown curls in her face, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, and her perfect thin lips that created a smile, that one day, would surely be the death of him and the rest of mankind. It was too much. "_You're with the wrong guy!_" He wanted to scream at her. I loved you first.

And no, he didn't like Scott, and never had. He wasn't an idiot. He knew what went on and wanted to kill the son of a bitch most of the time. Of course, he'd never told her this. He'd never told her a lot of things.

All he wanted to do was kiss her, hold her, be with her. But when she awkwardly looked away, the moment was gone.

Hesitating, he quickly began packing up. "I should go. It's getting late. I'll walk you to your car?"

--

Sleep was what she needed. To just bury the confusion and unsettled feelings she had. The moment at the library with Adam was intense, too intense. Made her feel things she shouldn't be feeling, especially now.

A noise in the hallway made her jump and her head jerk to the side. Then, she stopped breathing. Even though it was only a shadowy figure, she knew who it was. Please be home, Jane. Please be home. No, she wasn't home. It was Monday. She was at Devon's cramming for a test, would be until Wednesday. Don't let it happen tonight. Tonight she was tired. Drained. Weak.

Scott stumbled out of the darkness, crossing the hallway. "I knocked but no one answered. You weren't answering your phone."

She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Hey. I know, I was studying late."

As she moved to unlock the door, she could feel him behind her, waiting. "Where were you?" He asked.

Her hand stopped and she turned to him, his face inches from her own. "At the library. Studying. I just told you. Where was I supposed to be?"

"I don't know, 52nd Street... restaurant... green building?" Scott answered, trailing off.

Shit. She had forgotten their date. A conversation from two days ago vaguely came to mind. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot." She put a hand to her forehead, pushing the door open. "Things have been crazy this week."

"It's okay." He said, closing the door behind him. "Just wish you would have called. I was worried."

Maddie flipped through some mail on the table, avoiding eye contact. Her hands were shaking involuntarily. Her breath hadn't returned. "I know I should have. I was... you know, just got caught up."

He moved across the floor and stood close to her. "You were studying alone. That must have been boring."

"I met up with Adam. He was already planning on going tonight, so we quizzed each other. I told you about him. He was a friend of mine in school."

When she moved to head into the kitchen, he took hold of her wrist. Her eyes closed. "You know what I don't get about you? What I've never gotten?" Scott asked her in a harsh whisper, spinning her body around. "Why you think you have to lie to me. I went to the library. I saw you, with him, and he had his fucking hands all over you."

"It was nothing." Maddie answered, shakily. Her whole arm was going numb. He was squeezing so hard.

Scott shook his head, backing her roughly against the wall. He pinned both her arms down at her sides. "It didn't look like nothing. Know what I think? I think you're a liar."

She managed to get one hand free and pushed hard against his chest. In turn, he pushed all of his weight against her, pinning her entire body. There was nowhere to go. "I'm not! Nothing happened!" She yelled, pushing with her hips now. "Look, you're drunk and not making any sense. I want you to leave. We can't have a normal conversation when you're like this."

"I'm not going anywhere!" He shouted, putting his hand to her throat. Maddie stared at him fearfully, feeling his grip getting stronger. She knew he was capable of strangling her, but didn't know if he would. Her eyes darted from left to right, trying to find some way to get around him, but there was nothing. Only his body against her immovable one.

He inched closer. "What else do you want from me? I take you out, I buy you things, I don't screw around... I treat you well when you're not being a complete bitch, like you are ninety-nine point nine percent of the time. And what do you do? You lie, you run around with that guy..." He laughed in her face, tightening his grip slightly. "And you, what, think you're different from everybody else, because your family's got all this money and you _choose _to live in this shit-hole, and work with the cancer kids for free? Well, you're not. I just don't get you, Maddie, and that makes me sad."

Then, without warning, he released her, and she fell to the floor with a thud. She rotated onto her back and gasped for air that slowly came back into her lungs. He was towered above her. The choke hold was just the beginning. Merely a warm up. She felt anger bubble inside of her. All she wanted was to make him feel half of the pain he had inflicted onto her.

Scott bent down to grab her again, and she flung both of her fists wildly. One managed to collide with his cheekbone and he jumped back, startled. "You fucking bitch!" He shouted, pressing his hand against his skin.

"Get away... from me!" She managed to choke out. But he wasn't giving up. If anything, it had just made him more livid. He kicked her twice in the stomach, but for some reason stopped himself. Maddie could hear him pacing the floor and shouting words above her. Her ears were ringing so loudly, she could only hear disjointed noises and vibrations.

She turned away when he touched her face, pleading with her. She felt sick. "Get the hell away from me! Get out!" She screamed.

And then he was gone.

--

Maddie's first sensation was the rhythmic pain in her sternum. _Had she passed out? How long had she been unconscious?_ She thought to herself. Then, the migraine started coming on, strong. She moved every part of her body slowly. No broken bones, far as she could tell. She unsuccessfully tried to get to her feet, stumbling right away.

She balanced herself against the wall and somehow ended up in the kitchen. Why was she in there? She needed to be in the bathroom. Oh, that's right. It was all the way in the back of the apartment near the bedroom. She groaned, hand at her throbbing stomach. There was the upchuck reflex. No way in hell she'd make it.

Loud running footsteps came from the hallway. Panicked, she immediately dropped as if she were on fire, arms protectively wrapped around her upper body. Then, laughing. Children. It was only the neighbors. She gritted her teeth and double locked the front door, checking it twice, and then again just to be sure.

As she ran a hand along her bruising ribs and collarbone, she remembered that night at dinner. That should have been the end of everything. Her way out. She should have listened, but instead, made a conscious decision not to.

_Rachel stared down at the dark bruises. A chill ran down her spine. "Maddie, what... what is this?" She demanded. "What happened to you?"_

_"I, um... nothing. I was moving furniture with Jane last weekend. Guess it must have taken it's toll." Maddie answered, quickly pulling her exposed arm away from her prying eyes. She had only reached for the olive oil, and the rest was, as they say, history. "It looks worse than it is. Doesn't even hurt."_

_Rachel only stared at her, memorizing her body language. She had gotten a reasonably good look. The bruises were fresh, definitely not from last week. Everything in her gut was telling her that something was wrong. "Those don't look like you bumped into furniture, Maddie, they look like someone grabbed you. Pretty hard."_

_Maddie only stared down at her plate of spaghetti. She felt Rachel's hand make it's way on top of her own, and she quickly ripped it away. Rachel sank back in her seat, stunned. "Look at me. Tell me what's going on."_

_"What?!" Maddie whispered, maybe a little too loudly. She scanned the crowded restaurant. No one had heard. "I told you what happened. I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of nothing." There was no way she could figure this out. She'd never even met Scott, only heard about him, and only good things._

_Very few things upset Rachel. She considered herself to be a relatively calm, even-tempered woman. But the thought of someone hurting Maddie in any way, physically or otherwise, made her angry beyond comprehension. She guessed it was because she had known her since birth. Been there for pretty much everything. Potty training, first steps, first words, first prom, she taught her how to use tampons for God sakes. Well, she explained through a diagram, but it had worked. Alfred certainly wasn't going to do it and Bruce was gone._

_She sighed, leaning on both elbows. "I can help you. And we don't have to involve Bruce. I'd actually advise against it. We both understand why."_

_Yes, involving her brother was out of the question. After he told her about Batman, one of the only things that kept her from not seeing him as a criminal, was the fact that he refused to kill. If he knew about this, or even suspected, he would kill the person responsible. Batsuit or no Batsuit. She was sure of it. But even so, she didn't want Rachel to know about this. It was just too embarrassing. "I don't know what you're talking about. If something was going on, I'd tell you, Rachel."  
__  
Rachel focused on the empty wine glass in front of her. "You used to be able to tell me anything."_

_"I still can." Maddie assured her. "Why would I stop now?"_

_Rachel looked at her square in the eyes. "Because you just lied to me."_

_They were both staring at each other now, vulnerable. There was nowhere to hide. She knew and couldn't be convinced otherwise. Maddie opened her mouth to speak, to tell her everything from the beginning, to let her help, but a voice stopped her. "Sorry it took so long, ladies. Couldn't believe there was a line. What'd I miss? Nothing too earth shattering I hope?"_

_Both women were quiet, legs twitching anxiously under the table. Harvey looked from one to the other, completely confused. "Everything alright?"_

No, everything was not alright, isn't alright. But it would be.

--

**A/N:** Next up, THE JOKER! Yes, the fundraiser gala at penthouse 'ala Bruce is coming up.


	7. Why Fundraiser Gala's Suck

**A/N:** Keep in mind that this is my first time writing for the Joker, and he is SO difficult to write well. I'm a bit nervous about it :x Be kind with reviews.

--

It was not the night for this.

Her emotions were still too raw, too damaged, about that night at her apartment. She couldn't believe it happened only two weeks ago. The day after, she called Laura, a nurse at Gotham General she had befriended, who agreed to check her out. Luckily, there were no broken bones. No internal bleeding. Nothing but bruises that would eventually go away. No permanent damage, so to speak. Not physical anyway.

When she didn't show up at the library the next week for the cram session with Adam, he came over unexpectedly. Saw the bruises. Wasn't happy. She'd never seen him so angry. Never at anything. He was the least angry person she knew. She assured him she was fine, and he begged her for over an hour to file a police report. Of course, she refused, and he only shook his head with frustration, already knowing why. He offered to stay the night on the couch. Maybe then she could get some sleep. Which she still didn't, but it's the thought that counts. They had breakfast together the next morning. Talked for hours about nothing.

She thought seriously about not showing up, and just making up some lame excuse. But after thinking of the alternatives, quickly decided against that. The last time she said she was sick or impaired in some way, Bruce sent over a doctor for a full examination, and had an ambulance on-call. When she didn't show up with no explanation and ignored the phone calls, Lieutenant Gordon was at her door in under an hour. Apparently, he was working late and on his way home. Her apartment happened to be on his way when he got the dispatch call. Though, that didn't bother her. He seemed like a nice enough man. She felt so bad for wasting his time, she even invited him in for coffee. She couldn't exactly say she was going anywhere. Where did people even go on Thursday nights? So, she was stuck.

After spending two hours picking through outfits, she settled for her black corset top and white silk skirt with black heels. Wasn't exactly a comfortable outfit, and a little on the tight side, but it would do. But even so, it was still not the night for this.

She had been sitting on a bar stool, nursing endless glasses of champagne, and staring at rich people as they stepped off the elevator and passed by. Some of them said hello, and she politely nodded, but rolled her eyes as they walked away. The fundraiser gala crowd were the worst. Most of them were over the age of 30, and only talked stocks, politics, or business ventures. Three things Maddie couldn't care less about.

She decided about twenty minutes ago that she would wait until Harvey and Bruce decided to show up, and cut out early. It wasn't like the fundraiser was planned with good intentions. Bruce was insane for throwing it in the first place. Why he had done it, she didn't know. Probably to impress Rachel as a part of some new, stupid plan to make her choose him over Harvey.

Harvey. Har--vey. Harv. That name sounded more ridiculous each time she said it in her head.

"Maddie?" A voice said.

"Hmm?" Maddie answered, turning in her chair. "Well, look who showed up fashionably on time." She smiled, drink in hand.

Rachel shrugged, pulling down on her dress sleeve. "Harvey took forever to find a suit. He's actually _nervous_."

"Very cute, indeed." She glanced over Rachel's shoulder. In the middle of a crowd of people stood Harvey, chatting up a leggy blond and her husband (or father). "I can't believe you left him at the mercy of these pariahs. I'd be worried. Someone could mistake him for a millionaire and coerce him right out of here."

"Are you a little...uh...?" Rachel grinned, pointing to her glass.

"A little what?" Maddie looked down at her dress, confused, until she realized what she meant. "Rachel, don't go den mother on me. Just for one night. Okay? It's been a long week, and I'm..."

"Say no more. Do what you want." Rachel interrupted, putting both hands up. She turned her head to check on Harvey. Oh, no. How in the hell did Mike Engel's assistant sneak in? There was no way he was invited. "Come on. I may need reinforcements. A little walking couldn't hurt anyway."

Maddie slid off of the stool, balancing herself on the counter. "I'm not drunk."

"Whatever you say."

"I'm not." Maddie insisted.

Before they could reach Harvey, a loud noise outside got everyones attention. Was that what she thought it was? _Oh, not the plane._ Maddie thought to herself. But it was. Bruce, his private plane, arms linked with three girls who didn't look much older than she was. He could have at least used the elevator.

The tension between Harvey, Bruce, and Rachel, who was foaming at the mouth, could of been cut with a knife. The speech didn't exactly help matters. One jab at Harvey, followed by another, and then another. At one point, Maddie swore she heard Rachel's teeth grind.

"Nice speech."

Bruce grinned slightly, but wasn't feeling anywhere near happy. "Nice dress." The length, or lack thereof, of her skirt caught his eye. "What happened to the rest of it?"

"I'll look for it later." She joked, her arm linking with his. "But making joke's at Harvey's expense, not exactly the way to go about impressing Rachel."

Bruce sighed, "I didn't throw this to impress Rachel. You're the second person who's said that to me today. Maybe all I want is to see Gotham thrive. I believe that's what Harvey's doing. Or at least he's getting there."

"Fair enough." Maddie said, tripping over the hem of a guest's dress. She looked back and smiled at the woman. "You should wear something to stand out more."

Bruce held a hand up apologetically, before the mortified woman stalked off into the crowd. He tried to keep Maddie steady, gripping her arm tighter. They stopped at the glass door leading to the balcony. "I think that woman's husband is on the board of directors."

"Of what?"

Bruce thought for a moment. "I have absolutely no idea. Want to join me outside? It's nice out."

Maddie shook her head, stopping one of the servers as they came by with a champagne tray. "Not tonight. It's too... high and dark. You go ahead though."

"Do me a favor?" Bruce took her glass and sipped from it. "Take it easy on this stuff."

Maddie straightened and gave him a salute. "Yes, Sir, private Wayne, sir."

"Yeah," Bruce laughed. "I'll let Alfred know you're not driving home. You can stay in the guest room."

Maddie looked down at the floor and mumbled something in response. There was no use in reasoning with him.

"By the way?" Bruce continued, giving her a peck on the forehead. "I was kidding before. You're the most beautiful woman here."

Maddie smiled at him. "Oh, I'm a woman tonight? Goody. I like that better than girl... or kid. And whatever else you call me behind my back."

"Try not to step on anyone else." Bruce said, before disappearing outside.

As Maddie headed back through the crowd, Rachel blew past her, pissed as hell. She guessed she was heading for Bruce, but decided against saying a word about it. There was no way she'd hear her in that state. He set himself up for it anyway. Might as well pay the price.

"That sounds interesting. Definitely something worth discussing. Why don't you call my office on Monday? I'd love to hear more about it." Harvey said, a smile plastered on his face. Though, that smile came with the job, most of the time it was real. He enjoyed talking to the public, getting to know them, and what they wanted from him. But tonight it wasn't. Tonight it was fake. Tonight all he wanted was to go back to Rachel's and sleep.

He tried to focus on what the man in front of him was saying, but he was distracted. His eyes were glued to Rachel and Bruce on the balcony. She had abandoned him again. Perfect. He silently cursed himself when he suddenly forgot the man's name.

"Harvey Dent, so this is where you've been hiding? I've been looking for you everywhere."

He hadn't even noticed her. How long had she been standing there? "Maddie! I didn't even know you were here. I barely recognized you. You look amazing. Will you excuse me?" He was actually ecstatic she had shown up. Despite not liking her brother, even more so after tonight, Maddie seemed like a nice kid. Very bright too. Her dedication and focus reminded him a lot of himself at that age. "Out of curiosity, was that intentional or were you really looking for me?"

"Completely intentional. You look about as bored as I feel. I hope you're not having too bad of a time?" She asked.

"No, no. Not at all." Harvey lied. "I really appreciate this. Everything seems very... well put together."

She noticed him glance at Bruce and Rachel from the corner of his eye. "Good." She said, trying to divert his attention. They needed more time. "I saw your interview on the news with Mike Engel last week. It was brilliant. You're tackling a lot of important issues."

He smiled appreciatively. "Here's hoping the people of Gotham feel the same."

Maddie opened her mouth to give him a vote of confidence when gravity left her once again. Before she could topple over, Harvey caught her by the wrist. "Whoa, watch your step. You alright?"

Damn these heels. They were wrong from the start. Hopefully she wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow. "I'm fine. Thanks. But I'd be better if I had some company. I barely know anyone and Alfred's otherwise engaged at the moment."

Harvey looked from her to the balcony. They were even closer now, and Rachel had a look on her face he'd never seen before. "I hate to do it, but I think I'm going to take a rain check. Rachel's probably looking for me. I'll see you at the hospital next week."

After asking if she was alright for a second time, he was gone. And no, Rachel most certainly was not looking for him, and he knew it. Wishful thinking.

Twenty minutes later, on her twelfth drink, she must have been hallucinating. Did Bruce really just put Harvey in a choke hold, and in front of Rachel no less? Maddie had a feeling that she was so drunk, yes drunk, right now that she could easily be dreaming up the scenario.

Now he was pulling him away towards the broom closet. Rachel yelled at him, watching. Okay, maybe he had finally gone nuts. It had to happen sooner or later. Maybe it was a mid-life crisis. No, wait, was he old enough for that? Don't panic. This could be resolved with some simple negotiating. She was good at that.

"Bruce, I... this isn't a good idea, I don't think. It's borderline childish, as a matter of fact. Couldn't you of just kicked him out? He'll put you in jail! He doesn't like you as it is." Did she really just say that? Maddie looked to Rachel, who was doing nothing to stop anything. "Are you going to help me out or what?"

Bruce ignored them both, intent on securing Harvey's safety and doing it quickly. "They've come for him."

Both women turned their heads just as the elevator doors opened. A cop was pushed forward and then a voice rang out over everyone. "We made it!"

Bruce slid something through the door. "Both of you stay hidden." He demanded and looked to Rachel. "Can you...?"

"Y-- yes. Yes. I'll take care of her." Rachel muttered, grabbing Maddie's hand as if to reassure her. But Maddie didn't need reassuring. In fact, she wasn't paritcularly scared. Maybe it was because of the...

POW!

Now she was clinging to Rachel as they cautiously moved towards the bar. Guns were not her forte. She loathed them as a matter of fact. The cool steel, the click it made when it was cocked, and most of all the booming sound of the shot. There was nothing worse.

Maddie turned to Rachel to say something when a masked man waved a gun in their faces. "Down on the floor, ladies. Let's go."

"You look kind of funny." Maddie said to the man in a slightly serious tone. "I wish someone had told me that costume's were optional. I have this really cute bunny outfit that I totally could have..."

"And I will totally," the man said in an annoyed tone, gun pointed at her forehead. "Shoot you between your fucking eyes. Floor, _now_."

Rachel pulled Maddie down with her, pushing her body behind her own protectively. The man finally left to yell at some other people. "Well, I think that was just rude and unnecessary. I was just trying to pay him a complement. Funny can be good too."

Rachel snatched the drink from her hand and put it on the counter.

The peculiar voice from the elevator was growing closer. Whoever it was must have been moving through the crowd. _We are tonight's entertainment!_ Like hell. More like tonight's huge pain in the ass. What or who were they even looking for?

_I only have one question. Where is Harvey Dent?! _Oh, shit. Anyone but him. Maddie felt Rachel's grip on her hand tighten. She hadn't even realized she was still holding it. God, she was starving too. This was not good.

_You know, I'll settle for his loved ones. _"This has gone far enough." Rachel muttered, getting on her knees. "I'll be back."

Maddie pulled her back down. "What is with you and the abandoning? Scary guys, wearing funny masks, with guns equals not good the last time I checked. You're not leaving me here!"

"Just stay down and don't say anything. More importantly, don't move, okay?" She started to leave but Maddie stopped her again. "Maddie..."

"No, I've accepted the fact that leaving is your thing tonight. It's just, when you pass the buffet, can you grab me a crab cake? I'm... you don't even know how hungry I am. I don't know why..." Maddie trailed off. But Rachel was already gone. More waiting... and alone! Adam came to her mind. Now she really wished he had come tonight. He was good at calming her down.

_Well, hello beautiful. You must be Harvey's squeeze, hm? And you are beautiful. _Why did she have to confront him? He sounded crazy-scary enough from where she was sitting. She couldn't begin to imagine what he was like up close and personal, and she didn't care to try. Ugh. She knew what she had to do, and it was the last thing she was up for.

The fear was over relatively quickly by the time she got past three of the masked men. Her size helped with staying undetected. Bruce used to say that she could sneak up on anyone. The sight before her, however, was another story. The man's face was painted white. His lips were bright red and his hair a dark shade of green. His outfit was one of the strangest she had ever seen. He looked more like a creature than a man. _It_ also had a knife pressed against Rachel's face.

"Why don't you just let her go and return to wherever it is that you came from?!" Maddie yelled at _it_. "Harvey left. She only stayed to drive me home."

A gun was in her face within half a second. "You deaf or somethin'? I told you before to stay..."

"...on the floor and keep my mouth shut. Blah, blah, blah. Everyone out here is standing. Fuck off." Maddie said, no control over her words.

_It_ started laughing hysterically, distracted from Rachel for a moment. The man with the gun only stared at her, fuming. She guessed he was waiting for confirmation from his boss on whether or not to pull the trigger. At this point she didn't care one way or the other. She should get drunk more often. This no fear thing was too good to be true! _It_ gave a nod and the gun was at the man's side.

_Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling. _Rachel punched _it_ in the stomach. Again with the hysterical laughter. _A little fight in you. I like that._

_Then you're gonna love me._ And he finally decided to grace us with his presence.

--


	8. He Will Call Her Angel Face

--

**A/N: **Sorry I cut the last chapter right when it was getting good, but I couldn't bare to go over 3,000 words, LOL. It went on way to long. Anyway, this is my conclusion to the gala. Hope everyone is enjoying it so far. I do love writing for drunk-Maddie. Drunk Maddie is fun. Oh, and if anyone was confused, when Maddie's thoughts refer to _It,_ she's talking about the Joker. Read/Review please!

--

_It_ was a complete moronic joke. Not only did _it_ refuse to fight when "Batman" stepped in, but _it_ went as far as to push it's minions in front of it to avoid injury.

Shattered glass. An open window. Rachel dangling out of it. Things had gone from bad to worse._ Very poor choice of words. _And then _it_ let go of her. Maddie quickly turned away, opened her mouth, and let out a blood curdling scream. The magnitude of it surprised even herself. Only problem was, she was the only one making any kind of a sound, and that meant all eyes were on her.

The gun was placed in her side this time, but her eyes didn't meet the man's. They scanned the room for Bruce instead. Thank God. He must have jumped out after Rachel. At least she was safe. As for herself, yeah, she was in trouble.

The man put a hand behind her neck and shoved her into the bar. She pressed her back against it, breathing heavily. The gun was pointed at her heart now.

"I'm gonna enjoy this more than you know." The man sneered, cocking the gun. There was the sound. Her eyes squeezed shut. This was it... One, two...

Another gun shot. This time a bigger one. The man looked back, putting a hand at her throat, knowing the sound all too well.

"I can take it from here, uh..." _It_ said, scratching it's head. "Whichever one you are. Cease and desist."

The man obeyed and released Maddie roughly. But his hands were immediately replaced by purple, gloved ones. _It _was definitely a he and definitely human. From what she could tell, the red on his lips was used to cover up the scars on both sides of his face. She knew the wife story he told Rachel was complete bull shit. He probably did it to himself for no reason at all. Crazy, makeup wearing bastard.

His hand moved to her face, and his knife was at her cheek, like it had been with Rachel. His head cocked to the side. "Do you have a name?"

"None of your fucking business." Maddie retorted, struggling against him, as he pressed his body against hers. This was all too familiar and she hated it.

He moved his face closer and sniffed long and hard, nostrils flaring. "Oh, my, my, my..." Then, smiling, "That's a long name, Angel Face. Mind if I call you Angel Face? You do have the face of an angel." He slowly traced his blade from the top of her chin to the bottom of her stomach. "And the body of Athena. Know who she was?"

She couldn't breathe. If she were to try and scream, nothing would come out. Just dead air. His eyes seemed to be observing every part of her. Her body, her neck, her face, but he paid close, specific attention to her eyes. In fact, every few seconds, his eyes would burn into hers, as if he were looking for some kind of clue. To what, she didn't know, but it was too much. She had to look away.

But when she did, he roughly pulled her face back towards him. "_Don't_... do that again. The only reason I haven't killed you where you stand, precious, is because I find you incredibly amusing. And I don't find many women that. They amuse themselves, but not me. But you, no, there's something..." Then, without warning, he lifted her onto the counter and lied her down on her back.

Her eyes shot open wildly. She could hear herself mumble help at some point, but it came from deep in her throat. Even he couldn't hear it. _Why wasn't anyone doing ANYTHING?! _She screamed to herself.

He took the knife and started breaking the small strands of lace that held the corset together, one by one.

"W-- hey... what are you doing?" He didn't answer. Just kept cutting and then ripped the shirt clean off. Only her white, silk slip remained. "Look..." She whimpered, tears starting to form. No, she would not cry over him. He was too ridiculous to cry over.

"Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh, shoosh, shoosh... You're breaking my concentration. It'll just be another..." He pulled up her slip and put his hand on her bare left hip. It stayed there for awhile, searching intently. "...minute." He had a strange look on his face. Not quite disappointment, but like an expectation had been shot to hell.

"I think that's quite enough." A voice said from behind them. Alfred. "You gentlemen didn't find who you were looking for. Best be on your way."

His voice sounded hoarse and shaky. She could tell he was scared for her. "Alfred, Alfred I'm... okay." She sounded unsure and she was. She had no idea what the Joker wanted from her. She cringed at the name. She liked _it_ better. That way all of the crimes and murders he had commited didn't come into her mind. It was hard to believe she was practically being accosted in a room full of people by a clown-like, murdering psychopath.

He didn't bother acknowledging Alfred. "Sit up and cover yourself."

"How do you expect me to...?" Maddie asked him, her entire body still shaking.

"Improvise." He placed his arms on both sides of her. "I have a proposition for you, and it can go one of two ways. Wait until I finish before you speak. I don't want there to be any confusion, as I'm guessing you don't either, since this is a life or death situation."

Maddie only nodded. He smiled at her, tucking her hair back behind her ears. She jumped back a bit, not expecting his touch. "Good, good. But don't be so nervous. This is the fun part. Now, am I correct in assuming that the geezer over there is a friend of yours?" Maddie looked down. "Oh, more than a friend then? My goodness, we do get around, don't we? Geriatric loving the new thing with the kids?"

"He raised me." She said simply.

Joker nodded. "Oh, well, that's even better. Good. Now, back to the choices. One, I kill him. Plain and simple. And no, it will not be quick with a gun. It will be slow and painful and I will force you watch." He told her, waving his knife in her face. "Two, you leave with me. No questions... right now. No fighting, no trouble, and I leave him be."

There was nothing to think about. He lifted her off of the counter, put a hand on her shoulder, and they stepped onto the elevator.

--


	9. Without A Trace

--

Maddie's eyes opened and the world was one big, messy blur. The last memory she had was stepping off of the elevator. Being so scared she forgot how it felt to feel safe. A door opened and an unmarked, black van was waiting. They walked her to the sliding door... what did he say? He said something to her. Oh, yeah.

"This will only hurt a bit, Angel Face." Joker hissed in her ear. "Cross my heart and hope to die. Until we meet again."

And then everything went black.

The back of her head was throbbing. He must have hit her with something. That plus the severe hangover was enough to make her want to die a slow death. She groaned, focusing her eyes. The room was lit by one small lamp in the corner. A twinge of panic hit her. Suddenly she wondered what had been done to her while she was out. No, now was not the time for that. First things first.

Her eyes scanned the room and for a second she breathed a sigh of relief. She was alone. It was still dark out. She hadn't been there for long. There was still time for Bruce or the police to find her. Then, a noise in the corner. She saw movement in the shadows. It was a man, wearing a clown mask, sitting in a chair with a gun lying across his lap.

"Mm..." She mumbled, trying to address him. But there was tape over her mouth. Now she knew why her hands and feet were numb. They were both bound with rope. Don't panic. Do. Not. Panic. You'll get out of this. Bruce will show up or you'll escape while one of these morons has their backs turned. It will all be a bad memory. You'll never have to think about it again. Or not.

Her head snapped towards the door as it suddenly flung open. Joker stood there, glass of water in hand, staring from her to the man, who was nervously standing at attention. He slammed the glass down on the table and angrily ripped the tape off her mouth. Maddie winced, keeping her head down.

"Did I tell you to tie her up?" Joker demanded, kicking the chair over. The man only mumbled in response. "Du... du... du...?" Joker mocked, throwing him against the wall.

"I...thought that's what you'd want me to do, boss." The man responded, shaking.

Joker released him from his grip and kicked his body towards the door. "Get out. Don't come back."

Maddie stayed silent, wishing she could snap her fingers and be away from there. Away from him. His breathing was closer. He knelt down and began untying her ankles, then her hands. When the last knot was undone, she quickly stood up to head for the door, but fell face first instead. The blow to the head had affected her more than she'd realized.

Joker placed the water and two pills next to her, and she immediately knocked them across the room. There was no way in hell she would allow him to play the good Samaritan. She felt his hands pull her up by the hair and throw her onto the bed. He lingered above, pinning her hands, and licked his lips. "You like a good fight. I like that."

"I don't care what you like!" She shouted, struggling against him harder. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn't. Just kept staring down at her like a vulture. "You could have killed Rachel."

"Who?" He asked.

Maddie scoffed, trying to keep calm. But that was hard, seeing as though he had threatened basically everyone important to her in less than a twenty-four hour period. "The woman you threw out the window." She answered quietly.

"Oh, her?" He laughed, shrugging his slender shoulders. "Well... you win some you lose some. I'm sure the Batman saved her, anyway. He's an annoying, little creature of havoc. Like a mosquito that just keeps coming back, stinging you in the neck. I should really get around to putting him down one of these days." He thought for a moment, smiling. "But then I'd miss all the fun."

Maddie held her breath and kicked him in the groin. He rolled onto the ground, chucking deeply, only slightly winded. She pulled at the doorknob over and over but it was locked.

"Everything okay, boss?" A voice said from the other side.

"Fiery, fiery, fiery. I LOVE IT! Even better than I expected!" He laughed, jumping to his feet.

She backed up as far as she could until the wall stopped her. He was still walking towards her with that stupid grin on his face. His knife was at his side. She stared at it, terrified. He slid the blade inside her mouth, against her cheek. "Don't..." Maddie pleaded, tears forming.

"Don't what?" He pointed to his scars. "Do this?"

She only whimpered in response. He breathed on her neck. "I never finished telling you about Athena. She was the Greek goddess of wisdom and watchfulness. She was rational... intelligent... powerful... beautiful beyond comprehension..." He stroked the back of her neck. "Like you. Tell me, are you gonna be a g...ood little girl or do I really have to tie you up like one of my pooches? I don't want to. Something as lovely as you should be able to move freely. Explore."

When his lips moved to her face and he licked her cheek, she felt sick, like the feeling would never go away. "You taste like candy." He grinned, eyes closed.

Maddie glared at him, hating the fact that she couldn't do anything about her current predicament. It was enough to make her crazy. But she may as well find out the specifics. "Why am I here?"

He released her and leaned against the bed frame. "Their are four other rooms in the house. You're welcome to any of them." He fingered the lace canopy. "I thought this one was the most appropriate."

"Here with you!" She shouted, annoyed. "Look, if ransom's what you're after my brother will pay whatever you want. But you probably already knew that seeing as though you dragged me out of there for no reason."

"You didn't look like you were having any fun. What's the point of a party if you're not having any fun?" He asked her.

The more he spoke, the more she saw how truly demented he was. Her next question just slipped out. "Why else would you have done it?"

"You're right, I do want your brother's money. Or should I say... both of your money? That must be nice. All of that at your disposal for taking."

He was egging her on and she knew it. But the inheritance thing had always been an issue, so she took the bait. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, I think I do." Joker sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Better than you think."

She slapped it away. "Well, think again. You don't have a clue." She stood up and peered out of the window. She could tell she was on the second story of a house. The yard looked like it hadn't been tended to in years. It didn't look like Gotham. Where had they taken her?

"I saw them, you know." Joker said quietly. "The bruises."

Her eyes closed and a pain ran through her. Damn it. The floorboard creaked as he got closer... closer... and then right behind her. "Like to play rough, precious? I'll bet they throw themselves after you like cattle. But you never go after them. You don't have to, do you?" He asked her. "You're choosy. Does it... exhilarate you? Being used as a human punching bag?"

She wanted to scream. Break the window. Hit him. Hit herself. Crawl in a hole and just stay there. Yet, she was entranced by his words, and the calm way he said them.

"Is loverboy still in the picture?"

"No."

Then the footstep walked away from her and there was knock on the door. It must lock from the outside. "Or maybe it isn't about the money at all. Maybe I just enjoy the pleasure of your company." He said before leaving the room.

--

"Are you sure? Alfred can drive you. Please, Rachel, after what you just went through..." Bruce pleaded, checking her over, as they ducked through the panic room door.

"Bruce, for the tenth time, I'm fine." Rachel interrupted, fending off his wandering hands. She couldn't believe the night this had been. "I just... I want to find Harvey and go home. That's all I want to do right now."

Bruce noticed Alfred standing in the doorway. He looked pale as a sheet. "Alfred? What is it?" Bruce asked, concerned.

The old man only stared back at him, trying to remain emotionless. Bruce's eyebrows knitted together and he found himself uttering the first thing that came into his mind. "Where is she?" He asked, neither nonchalant or demanding.

"They've..." Alfred started, having trouble finishing. "They've taken her, Sir. The police are on their way. I've explained the situation to them."

Rachel needed no further explanation. Her body lowered to the bed. "Oh my God. No." she muttered, hand at her mouth.

Bruce laughed a bit, unconvinced. There was no way. Not in the penthouse. There were too many people around. "No... no, Alfred, you saw her before. She was a little drunk, that's all. She probably just crashed in one of the bedrooms to sleep it off. She was fine. She was..." He trailed off, deep in thought.

Everyone stayed silent until Bruce rushed past Alfred into the hallway. He turned to follow him. "Alfred. Let him go." Rachel said, standing.

She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be a source of comfort. He looked more worried than she'd ever seen him.

"Maddie?!" Bruce shouted. He had checked every room and found nothing. None of the beds had been slept in, so she hadn't driven home. He stumbled into the living room and held onto the couch for support. This wasn't happening. How could it have happened there of all places? It was the safest place in Gotham as far as he was concerned.

He knelt down and picked up a black strand of lace. He closed his eyes, remembering. A part of her outfit. _Son of a bitch_. That son of a bitch had taken her, and from the only safe place any of them had anymore.

"They put her in the elevator and left, Master Wayne." Alfred explained in the bedroom. "I assure you. I saw everything. I should have..."

"No, you were smart to stay out of it. There was nothing you could of done. It would have only made things worse." He glanced over at Rachel, arms wrapped around herself, looking as if she were unraveling at the seams. "Either of you. Rachel..." He moved towards her, but she stopped him with her eyes. She was the only person who could do that.

Bruce slowly paced the floor, wondering where to start looking. "Ransom note?"

"No, nothing. Doubt there will be." Alfred said.

"Why then?!" Bruce shouted fiercely, running a hand through his tangled hair. The room was growing smaller by the second. "Why would someone kidnap a woman they don't know if not because of what they're worth? What other reason could there possibly be? Obviously he doesn't know about me. He couldn't."

Alfred crossed the room. "If I may, Master Wayne, men like him don't care about money or think in logical terms like the rest of us. There will be no ransom demand. I'm sure of it."

A part of Bruce wanted to believe him, but the other took over. "The article about the trust fund ran last week in the Times. He saw it, saw her, put two and two together. Perfect opportunity..." Bruce said, slamming a hand down on the dresser. "And I let it happen. I let that murdering, psychopath take her out of here without so much as an unkind word."

"Bruce, stop. This isn't helping Maddie. Don't do this." Rachel said, voice cracking with each word. "I'll talk to Gordon, make this a priority, and so will Harvey." It was then that she remembered he was still in the closet. "I'm gonna go get him."

Bruce felt Rachel stop next to him. "We'll find her, Bruce. I promise." But there was no time for promises. He needed to act. He pulled off his shirt, drenched with sweat, and reached for another. "I need you to speak on my behalf with the police."

"Where should I tell them you've gone, Sir?"

The panic room door slid open. "Tell them anything. I don't care. How long ago?"

"Fifteen, twenty minutes, before you came back." Alfred answered.

Before the door closed, "Tell them I'll be down tomorrow morning to give them whatever they need."

--

She had been standing by the hall closet for a whole minute without a word. Harvey didn't know what to do. For some reason, he had become incapable of saying the right thing in the past half hour since leaving Wayne's penthouse. All he could think about was that poor kid. He didn't want to imagine what she was already going through. The thought made his stomach turn.

He wanted to know what Rachel was going through, but couldn't really bring himself to understand it. He was an only child, and other than his parents, who were both dead, he had never cared for another life more than his own. Rachel did. Blood relations aside, Maddie was practically her sister, and she loved her. There was nothing to say.

He stood when he realized she was crying. Her posture would always appear like that when she did. "Hey." He said, before she fell into his arms. "Rachel, this wasn't your fault, baby. Come on, you know that."

"How?" Rachel asked through choked sobs. "Bruce asked me to take care of her, I told him I would, and I didn't. That... he just walked out with her. God, Harvey if anything happens to her, I don't know..."

He cupped her face in his hands, smoothing out her tears with his thumb. "The police will find her before anything can, and when they do, we'll put him away, for life. He'll be in Arkham for the rest of his pathetic life and she'll be safe."

Rachel wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him as he held her and stroked her hair. But something told her it wasn't going to be that easy.

--


	10. Like Someone I Used To Know

--

Joker sat in bed, his back propped up against several pillows. It was almost morning and he still couldn't fall asleep. He felt his hand creep over to the empty side of the bed again, but caught himself this time. Ha! _Take that, heart. Fuck off. _He had been doing it involuntarily since he left her, and hated it more than anything. He shouldn't have even taken her in the first place. He didn't want any of her money. That was for sure. Money was a means to an end. It made people greedy. Made them do desperate, stupid things.

That wasn't him.

The heart. Something else he hadn't bothered using in awhile. That was the real reason he took her.

He glanced down at the open shoe box on the floor. He had taken it out hours ago, but had to stop looking at the photos. It was too painful. It was uncanny how much they resembled each other. Angel Face and Rebecca could have been twins in another life. Maybe they were. That happened all the time. Long lost siblings. Or maybe she was Rebecca reincarnated. That would be good. More evidence that there was no such thing as God or heaven. No, that was impossible. It was only a coincidence. There was no birthmark on her left hip. Solid proof. She was not her.

He closed his eyes. The feeling he had when he saw her at the Wayne penthouse was still raw. Warm. Tender. Love. Lust. Safety. The way her hair was swept up in such a way that it looked inhuman. Like only something not-of-this-earth could look that perfect. That pure. Or the way her hips quivered under his touch. His arm flew through the air and a lamp crashed to the floor. He pushed his hair back, trying to get a hold of himself. The green was starting to come off on his ungloved hands.

Angel Face even had the same voice, like a small bird. They looked, moved, cried... but Rebecca had been a different woman entirely. She was passive, never said an unkind word to anyone or even raised her voice. Hell, he couldn't recall her ever disliking one person. Who ever heard of that? Everyone hated somebody. When they were together, those were the things that bothered him about her. There was no such thing as a perfect woman, but Angel Face... Maddie was different. She was everything Rebecca was not. She was strong, fiery, stood her ground, fought back. She was angry and had scars like him. Maybe not permanent ones, but scars deep enough to remain there for awhile.

Her soul was tortured. Why did this have to happen twice in his lifetime? It wasn't fair. He had other things to do. More important things. Chaos first, everything else second. No feelings, just senseless actions. That had been his motto since he became who he was now. The other him, the him he was with Rebecca, that person was dead. He didn't exist anymore.

He smiled to himself. He liked her last night. The looseness of her words. The fact that she didn't give a damn that a gun was pointed right at her. There had to be a way to keep her...

--

Jim Gordon opened his tired eyes, looking up from the sea of files and paperwork. It had been a very long night. Scrambling around Gotham trying to get to Loeb, Judge Surrillo, and Dent before the Joker. He sighed, still not believing that he had failed on almost all accounts. What a waste. And now, this young girl had been kidnapped, in a room full of people no less. This was out of control. He had to be stopped and soon.

"Lieutenant?" A voice said from across the desk.

"Mr. Wayne. Nice of you to drop by." Gordon said, more sarcastically than intended. He didn't blame Wayne for what had happened to his sister, of course. He was just irritated that he couldn't talk to him the night before. Getting a statement while the information is still fresh was the best way to go about things.

He seemed to be answering the questions accurately though, at least by what the butler had told him. He checked off a question on his legal bad, and moved onto the last one. "Now," Gordon said, clearing his throat. "What was she wearing when you last saw her? Try to be as descriptive as possible."

Bruce nodded, pretending to try and recall. In actuality, that was one of the only things that had been burned into his brain for the past fifteen hours. "White, silk skirt, black corset top, and black heels. I found the lace that held the top together..." He said, stopping momentarily. "On the ground at the penthouse afterward."

"I see." Gordon answered, placing the pad down. He already knew why that was. Twelve people had the same story and it didn't change once. It was difficult for anyone to forget something like that. "Want any coffee or anything?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, thank you. I haven't gotten any sleep since it happened. Wouldn't exactly help things."

"Out of curiosity, mind telling me why you didn't stick around last night for questioning?" Gordon asked, leaning back in his seat.

"I went to see a guy that I know. He's a PI." Bruce shrugged. "Guess panic set in. I just want her found and brought back safe as soon as possible."

Gordon nodded in understanding. He couldn't blame him. With all of the questionable people in this department, there was no telling who he could trust. "That was a good call, but just know that that's all I want too. Madolyn's kidnapping is a top priority. Dent was in here earlier pleading your case. Trust me, when Dent want's something done, it gets done. No questions asked."

_Who knew he would come through_. Bruce thought to himself. In the back of his mind, he knew he would, but wasn't quite sure.

"She's been missing less than twenty-four hours. We'll find her, Mr. Wayne." Gordon said.

From Gordon's body language, Bruce could tell he wasn't sure of that statement. How could he be? None of them had, or even come close, to catching the Joker as of yet. "I'll hold you too that, Lieutenant."

"I know there hasn't been a ransom demand, and you can certainly do as you please, but I wouldn't hold a press conference. Not yet. Under any other circumstances I'd advise you to, but with this... He's just too unpredictable. The papers will be enough. I don't want to put your sister's life in danger..." Gordon stops, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"More than it already is. I feel the same way." Bruce agreed.

Gordon nodded, putting the manila file back in his desk. "Glad we're on the same page. We'll keep you posted. If you hear anything let us know." He watched Bruce as he stood from the seat and put on his jacket. He noticed that they were in the same room from all those years ago. After his parents had been killed. He wondered if he noticed. Probably not. He took a better look at his eyes, the distant stare, and recognized it immidiately. He'd seen it in the eyes of parents who's children had been taken. "Look, I know you want to find her." He told him, as he turned to leave. "But it's best to let us handle this."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Bruce replied.

--

"Dinner? With you?" Maddie asked, standing as close to the window as possible. It was the farthest area away from the door. After last night, she didn't want to be anywhere near Joker, let alone join him for dinner. "I--"

"You don't have a choice. Why so glum? It's only a little celebration of your second night as a guest." Joker explained, stepping closer to her. He didn't understand why she felt the need to be so far away. She wasn't shaking, crying, or hyperventilating. Didn't even seem rattled in the slightest.

Maddie chuckled under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "You mean a captive?"

"Semantics, precious." Joker smiled, taking out something from behind his back.

That was what he had been holding. She was convinced it was just his stupid knife, but it was a dress. Red and sleeveless. Simple, but elegant at the same time. A chill ran down her spine. It was exactly her taste.

"Do you like it?" Joker asked, actually caring about her answer. He could smack himself in the face for that.

Maddie sighed, staring down at dress wrapped in plastic on the bedsheets. "N-- yes. Yes. It's fine." She stammered, not knowing how to react to all of this.

"I'll send someone to bring you down when you're ready." Joker answered, leaving the room.

Maddie stood in front of the mirror and held the dress to her body. It was even her size. She was afraid for the first time since she'd arrived. What kind of game was he playing?

--


	11. Dinner For Two

--

The sight as she turned into the dining room actually surprised her. The spread was elegant. The lights were dimmed. Candles burning. Cloth napkins. Expensive china. None of it had been paid for, most likely. She glared at the masked man as he forced her towards the table. "I don't need a chaperon, thank you." She spat at him, taking a seat. "I can sit down all by my little self without any help from you."

He left them and continued into the kitchen. "Charming guy." Maddie said with an eye roll.

Joker couldn't help staring. When she stood in the doorway, he thought his heart would stop. She looked even more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. "Dress seems to fit. Nice and snug." He managed to muster. "It suits you."

"What did you break into my apartment? Find out my size, what I like?" Maddie questioned.

Joker shrugged his shoulders, hoping she'd think he really did. Even though he hadn't. He took great pleasure in toying with this woman. "Would that make you nervous?"

She laughed, cocking her head to the side. "Why would it? I already assumed you knew where I lived. Isn't exactly hard to find an address."

He kept forgetting how clever she was. Not as clever as himself, mind you, but clever nonetheless. "Touche."

A man placed a platter of Fettucini Alfredo in the middle of the table. There was no need opening her mouth about the fact that he also knew her favorite dish. What a bastard. He _was_ playing a game with her. She slumped back in her seat, determined to start one of her own.

"Allow me." Joker said, walking to Maddie's side of the table. He reached for the platter and forked the pasta onto her plate. He felt her chair scoot away from his body, and he happily yanked it right back, which got an exasperated grunt out of her. When he was done, he leaned over her shoulder, taking the rare opportunity to be close to her.

Neither of them moved. After a few moments, Joker caressed her cheek and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Strawberries and cream. Was it perfume? Maddie was frozen. She wanted to move, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Didn't want to. The feeling of him was in every part of her body. Then, he was on his feet again, back in his seat.

She stared at him quizzically, beyond confused by whatever just occurred between them. But all he did was eat nervously, avoiding eye contact.

"Still too hot?" He asked her.

She shook her head, twisting the pasta with her fork. "No, I'm just not eating it. For all I know it's poisoned."

Joker choked on his mouthful of food, nearly falling out of his chair. Was she serious? "Angel Face, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. And I still just might, but not tonight, and not at the table. It's new. Wouldn't want to mess it up." He motioned to her with his hand. "Slide it over, come on."

She does. As he took a long bite from the plate, he grabbed at his throat, pretending to choke. The theatrics went on for almost thirty seconds, and ended with Joker's head slamming onto the table. He glanced back at her with a devilish grin. "Seems fine to me." He said, sliding it back.

"You're not as funny as you think you are." Maddie responded, trying to sound as truthful as humanly possible. "I'd rather starve than eat anything you or your little minions give me."

"Suit yourself. Guess you'll just have to sit there and watch me enjoy my _unpoisoned_, savory meal."

"How long is my visit here going to last?" She couldn't resist asking the question again. Even if she didn't get a straight or sane answer. It was all she had been thinking about for the past twenty-four hours.

He slammed his fork down like a child and rocked back and forth in the seat. "See, I knew you were going to say that. Don't get predictible on me. Your visit will last as long as it has to, precious." He laughed at her frustrated expression. He was getting to her. Excellent. "Aw, why so serious? As long as you're with me, I get to do as I please. Chaos can take it's rightful place in Gotham with no interruptions from Gordon, Dent, or the Batman. These... civilized people. One little rich mare goes missing and they all lose their minds."

He tossed a newspaper over to her. Her kidnapping made the front page. "Dent and your woman friend are searching high and low, pulling all of the strings they can, but it won't do any good. Quite the boring pair, aren't they? Not the brightest lights on the tree either." Joker sighed, doing his best impression of a sad face. "I could say the same for your brother. Strange that he hasn't even made a public plea for your safe release, don't you think? Does it depress you, Angel Face? That your only breathing relative doesn't care enough?"

He would not get to her. He _would not_. Her eyes stayed on the paper, until he slammed his palms down, causing everything to shake. He was stronger than he looked. "I'll make you a promise, something I never do, but in your case, I'll make an exception."

"Why?" She shouted. None of this made any sense to her. He made no sense to her. "You could have left me tied up last night. Sent all of this up to my room and left it there for me. But instead you want me to move freely, and make a big deal out of this dinner. Make me get dressed up for you. You know what kind of food I like, what I wear..."

"Is it that hard to imagine that I might want you all to myself?" He poked his head under the table. She quickly made sure both legs were tightly closed. "You're nice to look at."

"You're disgusting." Maddie shot back. She threw the newspaper across the room.

"Sticks and stones." Joker continued. "As I way saying, the promise I'll make to you is... While you're here with me, you won't be harmed by anyone but myself, and only because my hand was forced."

Maddie stared back at him in shock. "That's your promise? You won't hurt me unless you're forced to? Is that supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?"

"Oh, I hope not." Joker made a face. "Never cared much for those."

--


	12. Loeb's Funeral

**A/N: **All of this takes place on the day of Loeb's funeral.

--

Maddie sighed restlessly, stretching her legs. The book Joker had given her to pass the time wasn't helping one bit. It had been two days and they'd barely spoken. No one would let her read the newspaper, so she was completely cut off from the outside world. Her stomach grumbled. It hurt more than the last time, only twenty minutes ago. But she wouldn't give in. One thing had to be under her control, and that thing was not eating.

The door opened and Joker stood over her. "If you're trying to kill yourself, there are better ways to do it. Electrical sockets are fun." He glanced down at the trays of food, sighing. "You're pale. I don't like you like this, so... this little tantrum of yours has officially come to an end. It's been three days. You have to eat something. I need you healthy."

Without looking away from the book, "What do you care if I die while I'm being held prisoner?"

Joker pulled her up by the shirt collar to face him. "Because if you die, I don't get what I want, and I very much like getting what I want. It's a thing with me. No breathing body, no payment."

"Lovely. Nice to know you're just like everyone else. Waiting to get paid."

He dragged her with him and held her face down to the plate of cold mashed potatoes. "I'll shove it down your throat if I have to. You _will_ eat."

"No! I won't." She shouted defiantly, both palms on the floor.

"It would be wise not to test me, precious. I've been generous with you until now. Don't think I won't do whatever is necessary." He waited and she still didn't attempt to touch the food. She was the most stubborn person he'd ever met in his life. Oh, well. Time for plan B. He scooped up half of the mashed potatoes into his gloved hand and held it to her mouth. "Open sesame."

"Stop! Alright. Okay." She insisted, giving up. She took several small bites from the plate, defeated. "Okay?! I'm eating. See?"

He stroked her hair lovingly with one hand. "There's a good girl. Now was that so hard?"

"Yes." Maddie answered, jerking away from him. "Here's hoping you're pleased with yourself."

"I always am." Joker said, gently taking hold of her chin. She stopped chewing, eyes locked with his. "I'll be gone for awhile. Try and be nice." He leaned over to kiss her on the lips, but stopped himself. She didn't struggle and secretly wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by someone like him. Someone devoid of any kind of human emotion. Was he even capable of it?

He hesitated and planted one on her forehead instead. She smelled like peaches this time. One of the many bizarre wonders he was sure was yet to come.

--

Bruce ducked through the panic room door, thrusting the bat helmet onto the bed. Gordon was dead, Harvey was growing more out of control, and worst of all, he had no luck in finding Maddie. Every night that went by was more agonizing than the last. Was she alright, was she being treated well... was she...? No. He wouldn't think that. She was alive. He could feel it.

He turned to the dresser and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. "Bruce?" A voice called from the other room.

Rachel had been waiting in the living room. "I didn't know you were here." Bruce said, simply.

"You either." Rachel responded, trying not to seem worried by his appearance. He looked emotionally and physically drained, like he hadn't slept for days.

He didn't ask why she was there, he knew the Joker had named her next. "I just got back. It's good that you're here. Safer."

"I would have been fine at the apartment, but Harvey insisted." Rachel shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I told him it was the safest place in the city."

Bruce nodded, heading to the kitchen. "He probably just didn't want you to be alone."

She nodded at him when he held up a bottle of water. "Thanks." She said, taking a seat at one of the stools. She watched him stare distantly out the window. Now that they were closer, she realized that he looked even more awful. "Have any luck?"

"No. It's almost like..." Bruce paused, letting out a breath. "...she was never there to begin with."

Rachel put a hand on his arm. "Bruce..."

"You don't understand." Bruce stared into her eyes intently. "I need to be the one. Not the police. Me."

"Why?" Rachel asked. "It's been all over the news and in the papers. Half of the city is looking for her right now. The police too. They haven't stopped. I've made sure of it."

Bruce shook his head, trying to make her understand. "After they died, I promised that I'd protect her no matter what. I broke that promise. I've failed her and them."

"Stop torturing yourself." Rachel demanded, anger seeping into her voice. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? You're going to kill yourself going on like this. You can only do so much."

Bruce took a few steps back, not believing what he was hearing. He thought if anyone would understand, it would be her. "What am I supposed to do? Give up on her?"

"That's not what I said! Bruce, it's been three days. Eventually someone will give up information." Rachel assured him, but felt her words come to a halt, and a devastated expression cross her face. _She could already be dead. He could have killed her. What real use did he have for her now? Be realistic, Rachel._ She thought to herself. She couldn't bear to say any of it out loud. Might jinx things.

Bruce placed an index finger under her chin, raising it to his eye level. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and wouldn't have it. After a few moments, Rachel started thinking about other things. It had been a little over a year since the last time they'd kissed. She still remembered the way it felt, the way he tasted, how her breathing changed. How it was unlike anything, even Harvey, and though it was such a wrong thing to admit to, that didn't make it any less true.

His hand moved to her cheek. "You once told me that we'd be together. Did you mean it?"

Rachel sighed, slowly leaning into Bruce's touch. "Don't make me your only hope for a normal life, Bruce. It's not fair. Neither of us are thinking straight."

"What do you want?"

She stayed silent, but knew exactly what the answer was. She had been avoiding it for so long, it just felt natural to keep on doing it. If she looked him in the eyes, it would all be over. The floor tile seemed to be a good distraction.

"I need you." He whispered hoarsely. There was so much pain in his voice. Half for her, half for someone else. His hand moved to the small of her back. "I need to feel you next to me, Rachel. Just this once."

"Harvey asked me to marry him." That was a mean thing to say. You're a horrible person, Rachel.

"You don't want to marry him." Bruce said suddenly.

That got her full attention. Now she was looking right at him. "I might. What's wrong with Harvey?" He's not Bruce, you idiot. That's what's wrong, what's always been wrong. Why you've never fully committed to him. It was a mistake to come here. Then he kissed her, and she kissed him back, not believing the relief that came with it.

And that was that. She took Bruce's hand and let him lead her into the bedroom. She didn't have the first clue what would happen tomorrow, but knew one thing.

Tonight they needed each other.

--

Maddie's eyes shot open. There was something going on downstairs. Figures, the first time she could actually get to sleep in three days. There it was again. A door slammed and hectic voices rang out. For a small moment, she thought Bruce had finally found her. What else could it be?

She leaped out of bed and pressed her ear against the door. More yelling and discussion came, but the words were undetectable. Then everything erupted into a panic. It had to be Bruce. What else would get everyone so riled up? Then Joker's voice commanded something and everyone shut up. That was never a good thing. Loud, wild footsteps scrambled up the staircase, heading straight for her. She backed away and took a seat on the bed, waiting. Wondering who was going to show up.

To her surprise, it wasn't Bruce. Not that she expected it to be. Things that seemed too good to be true usually were. No, it was one of the masked men, and he looked worried. "Let's go. He needs you downstairs. Something went wrong."

--


	13. And Then I Saved Him

--

"What... what's going on?" Maddie asked, confused, as she leaned down next to Joker.

He was lying on the rug in the living room with the minions circled around him. None of them seemed to know what to do. There was a big surprise. Maddie gave him a quick once over. Nothing seemed to be physically wrong with him, but his whole body was shaking. That's when she saw it. A spot of blood under the arm of his coat. She peeked inside the jacket and saw the bullet hole in his arm. He had been shot. "How did this happen?" She held up a hand. "No, never mind. I don't want to know. That would make me an accomplice."

There was the dumb grin again. Leave it to him to smile like an idiot at a time like this. "It seems as though the police can actually do something other than run around like chickens with their head's cut off. Ain't that right, boys? It was a sight."

That generated a few laughs from the group. Joker looked up at Maddie, taking her hand in his. "Think you can do this without killing me, Angel Face?"

"Do I have a choice?" She responded, turning back to the men. "Someone go and get whatever medical supplies you have. Peroxide, bandages, needle and thread, tweezers or something bigger. I need to be able to pull the bullet out."

They looked at each other quizzically, and slowly but surely started checking around the house. Maddie removed Joker's jacket but was abruptly stopped by him before she could remove his shirt. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just roll up the sleeve. Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Save that for later."

"Shutup." Maddie hissed, unamused by his sweet talk. She had no clue how he remained so calm. One of the men handed her a first aid kit and other items. It would have to do. She was used to having all of the supplies she needed with Bruce. This was a bit different.

"Not that it matters, but, ever done this before?" Joker asked, taking a deep breath. Not out of worry but out of exhaustion. She just hoped he didn't pass out. Then they would have bigger problems. No one was dumb enough to take him to a hospital.

Maddie snapped back to attention, remembering the question he'd asked. "No, never." She lied. "I've seen it on tv enough times though. How hard can it be?"

"How exciting. Will she or won't she?" Joker smiled, stroking her arm.

It took her over an hour to finish. Luckily, the bullet had punctured a meatier part and not any bones. She finished wrapping his arm at his bedside upstairs. They had given him a sedative, so he was in and out of sleep. She packed up the supplies, and turned to leave, when he grabbed her arm. It was more gentle than forceful. "Rebecca... st..." He mumbled softly.

She sat there, not knowing what to do, and found herself holding his hand. His eyes opened slightly, but they didn't look like the ones she had come to know. They were kinder, less intimidating. Maybe he was still dreaming? That was the only reason... "Stay with me. Rebecca. Stay."

After a few moments, she looked at the scars on the corners of his mouth. With the little makeup he had on, they were more predominant. She wanted to touch them, see how they felt under her fingers. He hadn't exactly stayed out of her personal space, so it wouldn't so be wrong. But as soon as her hand grazed his cheek, a knife was at her throat. Where had he kept it all this time?

"I'm sorry. I... you were dreaming. I bandaged your arm. You should be okay for tonight." She explained cautiously. He slowly removed the knife, his eyes never leaving hers. The same feeling from that night at dinner was back, and at full force. He seemed so vulnerable. And who was Rebecca? All of it was beginning to be too much, so she did the next best thing. Headed for the door. "I'll come back to change them in the morning."

She should of wanted him dead, but she didn't. Not even close. The first thought that ran through her mind after seeing the gunshot wound was, "Please don't let him die." You're going to be a doctor, you moron. It's the healer in you. The need to help people, even if they are criminals, and have nothing to offer society other than pain and death. No, you should want him to suffer for what he's done to you. He took you away from the only family you've ever known. The only people you've ever loved more than yourself. He tried to kill Rachel, and would probably have killed Alfred if you hadn't of left with him. You're his hostage. He wouldn't think twice about killing you.

He is not a good man. He's a monster, he's a killer, he's a psychopath who enjoys hurting innocent people. But he kept his promise. He hasn't hurt you. He's actually been somewhat kind, considering. He seemed like a different person in the bedroom just now. Like a man trapped in another man's body. Maybe there was something more to him, something she wasn't seeing. No, there's nothing there. It's just an attraction. He wants something from you and knows he won't get it. Not willingly, anyway.

You have to get out before you start to see the good, like you do with everyone else who eventually turns on you.

She plopped down on the bed, tired of her own thoughts. She felt like she was going insane. "Bruce, where are you?"

--


	14. Most Beautiful Woman in the World

--

"Oh," Joker said, awkwardly.

Maddie quickly covered herself with the bedsheets, even though she knew that there was a towel wrapped around her naked body. She assumed Joker would look away when he realized what he'd walked in on, but he was still staring at her. Gawking was more like it. It didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. "How are you feeling?"

"It's, um, fine. It's fine. Barely feel a thing." He lied, watching as she crossed the room and grabbed a pile of clothes. His arm was actually killing him. Luckily, there were pills for that sort of thing. Nothing could slow him down, least of all a little pain.

She stopped, realizing that he was dressed to go out. "You do realize that you just got shot?"

"And?" Joker responded, taking a peek under his jacket at the dressed wound. Blood was already starting to seep through.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "_And_ you should be resting, not going out doing... whatever it is that you do." Why did she say that? She knew what he did. There was no reason to play dumb.

"Don't need rest, but I could use a changing." Joker said, taking off his jacket. Now Maddie was the one staring. The white beater underneath revealed the distinct muscles in his arms. He was actually, dare she think it, quite attractive. "They need to stay. Lots to do tonight." Joker continued.

Maddie looked away and nodded, heading into the bathroom to change. She reached to close the door behind her but didn't. Curiosity got the best of her.

Joker looked up from the edge of the bed, and immidiately saw the small of her back. _Look away. Just look away and it will be over. You'll stop feeling this way. She's just a woman._ He thought to himself, calmly. But he didn't. He couldn't. She wasn't just any woman. She was a goddess. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen up close. Instead, his eyes moved from her legs, to her ass, to her back, to her neck, to her wet mess of brunette locks... Taking in something as beautiful as her wasn't an easy task. There were too many things to examine closely. As her body shifted, he caught the still fading bruises on both hips. How he'd love to meet the person on the other end of those. Not to commend him, which is what he'd usually do, but to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Their eyes connected suddenly when she caught him staring. But she didn't move, didn't close the door. Didn't even say a word. She just finished dressing and came out like nothing had happened. "So, is this thing you have to do tonight at least important enough to jepordize your health?"

"It's important to me. That's all you need to know, Angel Face."

Maddie grabbed the bandages and tape she'd stashed under the bed and started unwrapping his bloody bandage. "Why didn't you wake me up? This thing looks like it's been seeping for hours."

Joker shrugged. "I came in... early this morning. I didn't want to disturb you. You look peaceful when you sleep. Anyone ever told you that?"

"No. I... how much gauze do you want on?" Maddie asked, awkwardly. She didn't wait for him to answer and just started wrapping continuously. "It's not infected. That's good. That's really good."

"Tell me something, what do you get out of this doctor thing?" Joker asked, genuinely wanting to know. "I thought for sure you'd let me die last night. I wouldn't have made them force you to help. You made the decision on your own. Why?"

Maddie smiled up at him. "Is this your way of saying 'thank you'?" He didn't answer. She guessed he didn't thank people much. "It's just who I am. I enjoy helping people. Maybe one day I'll actually be able to get paid for it."

Joker licked his lips, amazed by her belief in the human race. "You won't see the inside of the hospital for years, and even when you do, they'll just be numbers. You won't know any of them. Why does it matter how many of them live or die?"

"Maybe I want the satisfaction of saving lives instead of taking them randomly like you do." Maddie answered, angrily. How could someone be filled with so much hatred for people they didn't even know? "Not that it makes a difference, but I want to work with children anyway." He still had the same disgusted expression on his face. "There's nothing wrong with helping kids. They've never done anything to anyone. They're innocent."

Joker stood when she finished and grazed her cheek with his hand. "You're very good aren't you? I didn't think so at first, but now I see that you just might be." He laughed. "No, there's always a little darkness in everyone. Without it we're just... boring. And you're anything but boring."

And then he left without another word. She didn't know why she gave two shit's about how he saw her. But she did.

--

"Just bring in food when she wants it. Give her whatever else she needs. Otherwise, just leave her be." Joker told the three men he had chosen to stay behind with Maddie.

Joker noticed one of them look away, irritated, at the corner of his eye. That angered him a great deal. Things like that always did. He slammed him against the wall, arm pushing against his throat. "Is there a problem?" Before he could answer, Joker pressed harder, so that he was gasping for dear life. "If you can't handle babysitting, I can gladly throw you out with the trash, and let someone else give it a try."

The man shook his head, gurgling in response. Joker felt a twinge in his injured arm, which was the only reason he let the maggot go. He was itching to kill. May as well be something as pathetic as he was. But all good things to those who wait. He still had the entire Gotham police force to take on.

--


	15. The Interrogation

Bruce flexed both hands, trying to breathe as little as possible to stay undetected. He shouldn't have been interrogating him. But he wasn't about to tell Gordon that. This was supposed to be about finding Dent and it was. But Gordon had also mentioned _the Wayne girl_. They had been looking for days with no leads to go on. No one had seen her being taken from outside the Penthouse, or anywhere else for that matter. But the first priority was Dent. Easier said than done.

Any moment now.

"The good cop, bad cop routine?" Joker asked, cocking his head.

He wanted to kill him. He shouldn't be the one doing this. Too many of his emotions were involved.

"Not exactly."

And with that, the lights flickered on, and Bruce slammed Joker's head right onto the steel desk. He hadn't planned on doing that, but it felt good.

"Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy. You can't feel the..." Joker started, but Bruce quickly put a stop to his explanation, with one of his fists.

Lucky for him it was his good arm. But the moment was so brilliant and exhilarating that the pain was non-existent. Finally, he and the Batman were face to face. And he thought Angel Face was fun. "See? Wasn't that better?"

"You wanted me." Bruce said, taking a seat across from him. "Here I am."

"I wanted to see what you'd do." Joker said with a smile. "And you didn't disappoint. You let five, well six, people die. Then you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me that's cold."

Bruce would have felt guilty about that, but he didn't. Rachel questioned him that morning about it while he was getting dressed. She knew he couldn't turn himself in. If he did, Maddie would have been killed without question. Dent knew the risk and he took it. "Where's Dent?" He asked, sternly.

"Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were." Joker explained with a wave of his hand. He leaned towards the masked man, trying to get a better look at him. His eyes weren't familiar. He could only imagine what he looked like without the costume. "But I know the truth. There's no going back. You've changed things... forever."

"Then why do you want to kill me?"

Joker's whole body hopped up and down on the seat as he let out a long laugh. "I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no. No, you complete me."

"You're garbage who kills for money."

There was that word again. Money. He was sick of hearing it. Seemed that was all anyone cared about anymore. "Sometimes, yes. I do kill for money. Good money, as a matter of fact. But, you'd be so proud of me, and this is something you gentlemen and ladies might want to listen in on." Joker said to the two way mirror. He diverted his attention back to Batman, sporting his widest smile yet. Now came the fun part. "I'm guessing that in addition to grilling and or beating Dent's whereabouts out of me, you also want to know about the pretty little thing from the fundraiser?"

Bruce said nothing. Only listened and held his breath. Not that anything he told him would be truthful... at first.

"I'll take that as a yes. But to save us all a great deal of time and energy..."

"You have all the time in the world." Bruce interrupted. "You're about to spend the rest of your miserable life in a padded cell at Arkham. Where you belong. Why did you take the girl in Dent's place?"

Joker nodded in agreement, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Even though he knew he would get out of there. Cell phones really were nifty gadgets. "If you say so. And, I didn't take her in anyones place, let alone Dent's. It was her decision."

Bruce stared back at him, flabbergasted. Is that really how he saw it? "She wouldn't..." But he stopped himself. His emotions were getting the best of him. That would not happen. "You practically molested her in front of those people, probably threatened someone she cared about, and forced her to leave with a gun to her head. That's not a decision."

"My men got a little crazy before I got a hold of her, but I didn't point a gun anywhere near, precious. I carry them but it doesn't mean I like them. Too quick. It doesn't even matter now. That's what I was trying to tell you." Joker took a breath, trying to look as serious as possible, which wasn't exactly easy for him. But the plan had to work. Otherwise, he'd never see her again, and he refused to let that happen. "She's gone, so you can't exactly ask her what I did or didn't do."

Joker spoke again off of the Batman's blank expression. He glanced at the mirror, holding both hands in the air. "Consider that my statement. Write it down if you have to." That was for Gordon. He did love the expression of terror spread across his face. "I killed her days ago." Batman said nothing. Only stared back at him as his eyes went black. Over Dent? He hadn't even told him about the other girl yet. Save the really fun part for last. It couldn't be over Angel Face. He didn't even know her. How could he?

He licked his lips, realizing that he and Gordon may actually be the ones who were similar. Both looking at her as a child in peril that had to be rescued from the big, bad makeup wearing clown. No, he didn't see her that way. She might have been in peril, but she was no child. She was an amazing woman full of surprises who made him feel things he hadn't felt in years. Even thinking about her now made his body react.

"The interrogation is over. Dent and the girl's location. NOW." Bruce demanded. He had just about enough of Joker. He was even more convinced now that Maddie was still alive. He was a horrible liar.

Joker shrugged his shoulders with raised eyebrows. "If the police would like proof, I'd be more than happy to send them her pretty head in a box. With the condition that my sentence would be shortened, of course. I have some nice wrapping paper at home left over from Christmas. Perfect for the occasion."

Bruce stood from the seat, slamming both hands on the table. "You're lying."

"I have no reason to lie." Joker said simply, not even shrinking back. He couldn't do anything to him in that room, and it was obviously killing him. Nothing to do with all of his strength. So sad. He could be so much more if he just altered his mindset a bit. "She was nothing to me. You see, contrary to popular belief, things get a bit dull for criminals on the run. I needed a source of amusement, and she was that, up until her very... last... breath."

Now he would see how far he was really willing to go. He spoke slowly, enunciating every word clearly. His excitement was lessened, of course, because he couldn't see the expressions on the faces of the officers watching. But it would have to do. "I... did what I wanted, and then disposed of her. Sort of sad thinking back on it. She was very elegant, like a glass doll." He pointed to the door. "They need you right now. But when they don't, they'll cast you out. Like a leper. You see, their morals... their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show ya. When the chips are down, these civilized people, they'll eat each other."

Joker leaned back in his seat, letting all of this sink in for the peanut gallery. The attention was actually quite nice. "See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."

Before he knew what was happening, Bruce felt his arms pull Joker across the table and raise him into the air by the shirt collar. "Where are they?" Stay in control. He's lying. Trying to mess with you and the police. It's just a sick game.

"You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you."

Bruce pinned him against the wall. "I have one rule."

"Then that's the one you'll have to break to know the truth. The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight you're going to break your one rule."

"I'm considering it."

Joker could feel the bones in his arm going numb. "Well, you can't save the little girl, but there are only minutes left, so you'll have to play my little game if you want to save the other two." He explained.

"Other two?" Bruce asked.

"You know for awhile there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her. Like a dog in heat."

Bruce threw him onto the table, blocked the door with a chair, and was gripping his shirt again within seconds. He could hear Gordon struggling to get it open. His eyes burned into the madman's, anger overtaking every part of him. Not Rachel too.

"Does Harvey know about you and his little woman?" He asked, as his body flew into the two way mirror, causing it to crack. That would leave a mark. "Killing is making a choice." Then, a punch to the face. Through all of this, he continued to scream _where are they_. The Batman took himself way too seriously. "You choose one life over the other. Your friend the district attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be." And then another blow to the face. All he could do was fall into a fit of laughter, leaning his head against the cool, tiled wall. He was getting everything he wanted by only being himself. "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!"

Bruce pulled him up fiercely, holding him at arm's length. All he wanted to do was strangle the life out of him. Joe Chill came to his mind. He and Joker were the only people he'd ever truly wanted to terminate permanently.

"Don't worry, I'm going to tell you where they are! Both of them." Joker assured him. "And that's the point. You'll have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street and she's on avenue X at Cicero."

Bruce dropped him and quickly ran out of the room, passing by Gordon. "I'm going after Rachel. The Wayne girl isn't dead. Keep looking."

Joker smiled to himself, crawling towards the corner of the room. Mission accomplished. Soon, the police station would only be a large, charred heap of rubble and he could move onto more important things. The surprises weren't over yet. He just hoped Angel Face would be pleased.

--


	16. See Into Her Soul

--

"Time to wake up, Angel Face. I have a surprise for you."

Maddie slowly opened her eyes and shielded them from the harsh light with her arm. She didn't even realize anyone was in the room. Must of been more tired than she'd realized. As her eyes focused, she heard heavy, muffled grunting and Joker's laugh. "Hm?" She mumbled, sitting up in bed. By the time the dark shapes in the corner of the room became real, she was speechless.

Joker jumped out of the way, an excited look on his face. "Tada!" He yelled.

There was Scott, tied to a chair, with tape over his mouth. Open wounds covered his face. He looked like he had been beaten severely several times and in many different ways. She put a hand over her mouth, terrified. "How did you...?"

"Oh, you're speechless. There's a first! Isn't that sweet?" Joker grabbed the heaving boy's face, forcing him to look at Maddie. "I saw it in the window and I knew you would love it. And it didn't even cost me a penny."

Maddie still didn't know what to say. What to do. She couldn't even begin to imagine why he would do something like this. She hadn't even told him his name. Joker moved to her in two quick strides, standing over her. "Why are you just sitting there? Do it." He said, pushing the sweat drenched hair out of his face.

"Do what?" Maddie barely got out, her eyes glued to Scott's. Joker lifted her chin with his hand and pulled her off of the bed. She was too transfixed to do anything about it. There were too many thoughts racing through her head at once.

"That's why the fiend is here alive. Well..." Joker looked back and couldn't help but get pleasure out of the captive's pathetic state. "Half alive. It took some force to get him to join us. He's a tough, little coward. Isn't that right, Scotty boy? I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every moment of it."

"I don't understand." Maddie muttered through tears. Joker sighed heavily and turned her around, wrapping one arm across her chest and another securely around her waist, holding her there. Scott stared up at her expectantly. Her eyes squeezed shut, unable to look at his mangled face any longer. This was her fault, she had done this. There was no way he was leaving there alive. "Open them, or I'll do it for you. There's no pity here." Joker whispered into her ear.

He let her go and she spun around to face him, crying harder. She hated that she couldn't stop. He put his hands on both sides of her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Sh, sh, sh, sh... the tears of joy are supposed to come later. After it's done." As he stared into her eyes longer, she knew what he wanted. He was testing her. He pulled his knife from his pants and placed it in her hand. It dropped to the floor immediately.

"You don't want him to leave this room breathing." Joker told her, matter-of-factly.

He'd said that as if he knew her. Knew everything Scott had put her through. "Yes, I do."

Joker leaned in, an inch away from her face. "No. Don't tell me it doesn't excite you. Knowing that he's here, that he can't run, that you can actually get away with it. I would never say a word. He... _that..._ is a waste of space, Angel Face, a means to an end. Shouldn't be breathing the same air as anyone, not even someone like me, and especially not someone like you." He picked up the knife and placed it in her hand again. "End it." She only stared back at him with the same blank expression. "Stop acting dense. It isn't becoming. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He kicked Scott's chair over, sending him face first to the ground. "All of those sleepless nights you spent afraid! The pain he made you endure for no reason!"

"What the hell do you know about any of it?! You didn't even know me then!" Maddie shouted, shoving him backwards. She ran both hands through her matted hair, moving towards the open door. But he blocked her way. "I won't hurt him. This isn't the way."

"It's always the way." Joker said, glancing at his limp body. "Look at him! How could you not want to kill something so pathetic?!"

Maddie stepped in front of Scott, so Joker couldn't get anymore punches in, or God forbid knife wounds. "You want me to do it? Fine, I will." She turned around and began kicking him over and over in the stomach, trying to avoiding his face. There was only a small moment of satisfaction when she gave him a last swift kick in the balls, but it left her fast.

Joker couldn't stop laughing from behind. He was even jumping up and down on the bed. "That's it, yes! Make it hurt! Look at you go!"

"I'm done. That's all I've got." Maddie announced, tossing the knife onto the bed.

"No, no, no. It was just getting good. I can invite my men in. We'll make a night out of it."

Maddie shook her head. "I won't kill him."

Joker's eyes went dark and his shoulders slumped. "So be it." He picked up the knife, dragged Scott out of the room by his feet, and tossed him into the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Maddie asked, following close behind. Joker kept her inside the room easily and nodded to one of the men. "Plan B. We're leaving now." The man nodded and shoved Scott down the staircase. Joker angrily slammed the door in Maddie's face, leaving her pounding her hands against it.

--

Two hours later, he was back, and more livid that she'd ever seen him. But she wasn't afraid. No, this time she was just as livid, if not more.

"What did you do to him, Joker? Answer me!" Maddie shouted frantically, adjusting her shaking hands at her sides.

"What you couldn't." Joker crossed the room and rubbed at his forehead, frustrated. He had enjoyed killing him, even if it didn't take long, and was over too quickly. The boy was already weak to begin with. He hoped she would of approved, but wasn't really surprised that she was upset. It never ceased to amaze him. Women like her and his mother were all the same. "You disappoint me."

She stood behind him, her chest heaving in and out, as she realized that he'd gone through with it. For some reason, a part of her thought that if he was willing to kill for her, maybe he was willing not to. How stupid was she? He was a sociopath. This was what he did. "You... killed him?" She asked, out of breath.

"And I don't regret it. Never have, never will." Joker responded, smiling at her.

Both of her fists collided with his chest and he does nothing to stop her at first. All of the yelling and hysterics actually amused him, and he wondered if she would ever tire out. Probably not. When she raised her hand to slap him, he caught her wrist, and landed on top of her on the bed. It reminded him of her first night there. Like then, he wanted to kiss her, but the urge was even stronger. She glared up at him, matching his dark, penetrating gaze. "I've never killed for anyone but myself. For my own self gratification. You have..." He said softly, stroking her cheek. "Done something to... this wasn't in the cards."

Her voice was raspy. "I didn't ask you to." Maddie sneered, pushing against his touch, even though it felt natural to her now.

"You didn't have to." He countered, eyes moving down her quivering body. She looked the most beautiful in the moonlight, gasping for breath. "I enjoyed it. Listening to him beg for his miserable life like an animal. That's how you really know what kind of person someone is, what they say in their last moments. He didn't mention you. Not once. He didn't care about what might have happened here."

"I didn't expect him to. But I didn't want him dead either." Maddie said, her head tilting up as the tears started to fall again. There was nothing she could do about it. He was gone and all she felt was relief. He could never hurt her again. The guilt was paralyzing. "I'm not like you."

Joker smiled down at her, moving a hand up her thigh. "I saw your face when you were kicking the human waste. You enjoyed every bit of his suffering. Who could blame you?"

"No."

"Angel Face, you did. I know you, I know your soul. I see all the way down there." He lowered to her bare collarbone, kissing her skin gently with each word. "And it's something dark... and strong... and beautiful." His lips were above hers and they parted before colliding with them. It was finally happening and better than he could have ever dreamed of. If there was a heaven, this had to be it. It surprised him even more that she didn't struggle, not once. Her hand trailed down his back and her hips ground against his sternum.

When a long, soft moan of pleasure escaped from her mouth, he kissed her harder. It made him crazy. He wanted to lose himself in her. That was not good for him at all. This couldn't go anyplace. It was impossible.

--


	17. The Morning After

--

Maddie traced her fingers over her lips, last night still burned into her memory. She wasn't sure if she regretted it or not, and was more confused than anything else. But something about it felt right. The feeling of his body and skin against hers. The sensation of his tongue as it collided with her own. He was even gentle at times. Though, she hadn't exactly minded when he wasn't. He whispered to her to call him Jack, which she guessed was his real name. She would have done the same, but liked the name he had for her. Maddie was only a nickname anyway.

Her body turned over and she came face-to-face with a very awake Joker. He seemed to be deep in thought. She smirked, intertwining her hand with his. "Look who's awake."

Joker caressed her jawline with the back of his hand and kissed her. He needed to be close to her. Even if it was the last time. "Hello there."

She leaned against him, happily returning the kiss. When she pressed her forehead against his, her hand lingered along his cheek. His makeup was almost gone, and the scars were noticeable again. They were so deep. He watched her intently as she did it, and stopped her when she got too close. "Please." She said pleadingly, looking up at him. "Let me."

"No." He murmured, keeping her hand at a distance.

She bit her lip, pushing his dirty blond hair back. "I want to. Trust me." And then, the unimaginable happened. He let her touch them and it was as if she was really inside of him this time. Who knew something as simple as touching scars could be so intimate. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He groaned against her throat, closing his eyes. And then suddenly, he was somewhere else entirely. Not with her or even in the room. His body rolled over, half of his arm hanging off the side of the bed. When he murmured the name, she heard it clearly, but decided to ask anyway. "What?"

"Nothing." He said flatly, sitting up. He still refused to look at her.

"You said Rebecca." Maddie insisted softly, leaning on her palm. "You said her name after you were shot too. You were dreaming. Looked right at me like I was her."

_Damn it to hell_, He thought. He promised himself all of this was over and done with. But it wasn't and never would be. It only proved that he had no control over his emotions or himself when he was with her. That equaled death in his eyes. "I want to know you." He heard her say.

He shook his head, exasperated, pulling his discarded shirt over his head. "No point in that. Whatever's happened outside stays there."

"You brought it in. Not me. Who is she?"

He flinched when she grazed his back with her hand. He hated being touched from behind without warning. She didn't know that, but still. "Careful." He warned, getting to his feet. She followed his lead, pulling her own clothes on. When she finished, she walked over to him, and made the mistake of trying to touch him again. "I was only trying to..."

"Stop." He warned her again, gripping both of her wrists. "It doesn't matter."

A part of her understood Joker completely and another not at all. It was almost as if he'd built a huge wall around himself, and no one got in. Not even her. "After last night, it doesn't matter? So, you're saying it didn't mean anything to you?" He said nothing, just stared back at her menacingly. "You won't hurt me." She assured him.

"No, you see, that's where you're wrong. I will." Joker said, tightening his grip on her. He wanted to get his point across, make her see. "I'll tell you who Rebecca was. She was my first. First date, first girlfriend, first fuck... first everything. Yes, I did have a life before these." He pointed, indicating his scars. "Not a very good one, but a life all the same. Our own families weren't worth much, so we decided to start one of our own. We got married and were happy enough, until things changed. I felt her drifting away from me. Thought it was something I was doing, I wasn't the easiest person to live with. One day, I brought flowers home for her as... a romantic gesture. I heard voices and found them in bed together, making love. I must have blacked out after that, because I don't remember anything else. Only walking out of the bedroom with blood stained hands holding a knife." He took a deep breath, unable to read her expression. "I killed the only woman I ever loved and I'm not sorry. I'd do it again in a second without a doubt in my mind. You're not as safe with me as you think you are, precious. No one is. I'm an agent of chaos. Always will be. And even if you'd _like_ to be the one to change that, you can't be."

She stayed silent, showing no emotion or reaction to the story. Though, she believed every word of it to be true.

"Still want to know everything?" Joker asked, sarcastically. Then after several moments of silence, "Didn't think so." He kissed her forehead, leaving his lips there for what seemed like a whole minute, and walked towards the door. He stopped mid-way. It was time to put an end to this nonsense.

"Turns out it's your lucky day. I'm releasing you." He told her, still turned around.

She looked at his back, shocked. "What? I... I can go home? But what..."

"Get your things together. We're leaving in an hour." He said before leaving the room.

_It would never have worked out, anyway._ He thought to himself. Things were fine before she came along. They would just go back to normal. No harm, no foul.

--


	18. The Day Her World Fell Apart

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait on the chapters. School has been insane and will get even crazier in the coming weeks. I'll try and update as often as I can. Please Read/Review! I love comments and suggestions :)

italics - _flashbacks._

--

Maddie walked slowly out of the alley, maneuvering through the crowds of people. She was paying no attention to them, of course. She had other things on her mind. Like how she would explain the past five days to the police and to Bruce, where to go first, and more importantly, how exactly she felt about him. It was maddening, but on her mind all the same.

_"Here we are, precious." Joker said, leading Maddie out of the van and removing the cloth blindfold from her eyes. His voice was hoarse and very low, almost inaudible. "You should be able to walk home from here."_

_Maddie lowered her head, fixing her eyes on the pavement. She still didn't understand why he decided to let her go._

_He took her face in his hands as their eyes connected. "Why so serious? You know it would never have worked."_

_"How do you know?" Maddie asked, her body inching closer._

_"I know my place and it's not with you. But I do..." Joker answered, pushing hair out her face with his gloved hands. "...care for you. If you stay, I'll hurt you, and that's not what I want. You deserve better."_

_"I think I'm capable of deciding what's best for myself." _

He smiled down at her and like that, he was gone. Out of her life forever. There was the pang in her heart again. Every time she tried to feel an inkling of empathy or affection for Joker, she felt unbelievably guilty. Guilty for betraying every person that was important to her.

She ended up pushing through the double doors of Gotham General, wandering down hall after hall. She could call Bruce, but really didn't want to. There was no way to explain. He'd never understand. Neither would the police. She shivered, arms wrapped around herself, thinking of being questioned. About being held captive, about the Joker, about what happened to Scott...

Maddie placed a hand on her forehead, reaching an elevator. Maybe being outside for the first time in days was making her lightheaded. The third floor sounded good. In her experience, the burn unit had always been strangely uneventful most days. She just needed some time to clear her head until reality ultimately set in.

As she passed by an empty stretcher, she stopped, and walked back to it. Something had caught her eye. A newspaper. Her mouth opened slightly as she read the front page: BREAKING NEWS! ADA DEAD IN EXPLOSION, DA SERIOUSLY INJURED. Rachel. Harvey. What had he done? He'd known since last night. He deceived her. He hurt them. He killed _Rachel... _her surrogate mother... her friend. No. This wasn't happening. The dizziness was stronger, taking over her whole body.

Before she knew it, she was on her knees, still clutching the paper in one hand, and holding onto the stretcher with the other. No one seemed to be paying any attention to her, until moments later when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey... hey Miss? You escape from one of the rooms or somethin'?" A voice asked with a heavy accent.

She ignored it and clenched her fist until half of the paper was in a large bundle. All she wanted to do was lash out at someone, but barely had the strength to know where to start. "Hey," The voice asked again, pulling at her long sleeve and trying to help her to her feet. She shoved the figure away violently, sending one of the stretchers flying.

"Don't touch me!" Maddie shouted, backing away from whoever this guy was. She recognized him from television, but couldn't match his face with a name.

The man grew closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you... where do I know you...?"

He obviously had some trouble getting the point. Before Maddie could move away again, someone stepped in between them. "What the hell's going on? What are you...?" Gordon stopped talking when he saw who the girl was. "Ms. Wayne?" He asked, confused. How had she gotten there?

"Just doing my civic duty. She was on the floor there and started freaking out. Didn't do a thing to her." Salvatore Maroni stated in his defense.

"Get out of here or I'll have you thrown out. She's just a kid." Gordan spat, pointing to the elevator. Maroni did as he was told.

Gordon turned his attention back to Maddie. He stayed silent, full of questions, as he looked her over. As far as he could tell, she didn't seem to be harmed physically, just really shaken up. "Ms. Wayne, can you tell me how you got here?" Gordon asked softly, taking a step towards her. When she backed away, he stopped, holding up both hands. "I'm not... gonna hurt you, okay? They can't hurt you anymore. You're safe here. Understand?" He held his hand out to her. "Come on, we'll get you checked out. You don't look well." And when he said that, he meant it. She was pale as a sheet and it looked as if she would break if she were to let go of the stretcher.

"You can trust me, Mad..." Gordon felt his arm instinctively catch her when she fell to the ground. "Nurse! Somebody!" He yelled.

--

"And I told you I was fine." Maddie stated firmly, glaring at the clueless nurse standing at the end of the hospital bed. "Can you just ask a doctor to examine me? I want to get out of here."

The nurse nodded nervously, staring at the Maddie's shaky hands. "He's with another patient but he won't be long. I can give you a Valium if you'd like? In cases like these..."

"Cases like these?" Maddie interrupted.

"...it's recommended. With all you've been through, I mean. Everyone knows what happened. I can't even imagine what that..."

The past few days began to flash through Maddie's mind again. She couldn't take much more of this woman and just wanted to be left alone. "Yeah, it doesn't sound like you have much of an imagination at all! I don't need any pills." Maddie pointed to the officer at the door. "Jim Gordon left an officer here, which means I'm under police protection. If I need anything, I'm sure he can handle it."

The nurse continued to stare at her in shock. Maddie tried to make her hands stop shaking but it was no use, so she hid them under the blanket instead.

"It's no trouble, Ms. Wayne, really... it'll help you relax."

"Get out! I want you out of here! Just leave me alone!" Maddie shouted, throwing one of her pillows at her. The nurse dodged it and placed it back on the bed, speechless.

The officer stuck his head inside. "Everything alright in here?" He inquired, looking from Maddie to the nurse.

"No, everything is not alright. I want her out of here. I'll wait for the doctor alone." Maddie turned on her side, hoping they would both leave. Sure enough, she was finally alone. She quickly headed to the closet and put on her clothes. Commotion was coming from outside. She saw several people running towards elevators and stairwells. There was some kind of evacuation going on. She watched as the officer stationed at her door talked with a nurse and went to help.

Maddie poked her head out, making sure the coast was clear, and headed in the opposite direction. She had to find Harvey and see if he was okay.

"Excuse me?" Maddie asked an orderly. "Can you tell me where Harvey Dent's room is?"

"What? Oh... Ma'am, you should be heading downstairs with everyone else. We're being evacuated."

"I know, but... Look, I've been on a plane for four hours to come and see him. I'm his sister." Maddie explained.

"He's probably already on a bus with the rest of the patients."

Maddie rummaged through her purse and got out her wallet, hoping she wouldn't actually have to use it. "I've got to check just in case. I came all this way. I can show you my ID if you..."

The orderly shook her head. "No, it's fine. He's in room 512. If he's not there, go downstairs immediately. It's not safe here."

"I will. Thank you so much." Maddie glanced at her name tag. "Kathleen."

--

Joker licked his lips and stared down at a scarred Harvey Dent. "...because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mare will die, well then everyone loses their minds!!" He pulled out his gun and shoved it in his face. Before he continued to speak, he noticed Harvey staring past him. He turned and pointed the gun, but lowered it when he saw who it was. Angel Face.

He pushed some of his hair back, not all that surprised to see her there. Though he hoped she would have been smart enough to go straight home to stay out of harm's way. Nothing was ever simple when it came to her. He would have to accept that eventually. "Well, well, well... look what we have here. You just can't stay away from little old me, can you? I'm flattered." Joker looked back at Harvey. "Just give me a minute."

"Get out of here, Maddie. Right now. Run!" Harvey demanded, pulling at his restraints.

But Maddie couldn't. She was too shocked by his face. It was like a part of him had been removed along with Rachel, and it was devastating. His angry eyes were buring into hers, telling her to leave, to get herself out of danger once and for all. But Joker was already standing in front of her with that penatrating gaze she knew too well. "What have you done? Why?" She whispered harshly, eyes closing while trying to fight the tears. "You lied to me."

"None of it was about you. It was business. Part of the plan." Joker explained. He found himself wanting to touch her, but when he tried, she shoved his hand away and started to cry. He sighed, placing both arms on either side of her. "Haven't we been through this song and dance?"

"Stop!" Harvey demanded again, struggling harder against the restraints. He had a list of people he wanted revenge on for Rachel's death, and planned on following through with making each and every one of them suffer, but Maddie certainly wasn't on it. Like Rachel, he had assumed she was already dead. He knew that she would have wanted Maddie safe and he intended on granting that last wish. "Leave her alone. She's been through enough because of you."

"She never did anything to you." Maddie sneered at Joker. "You didn't even know her! I loved her. She was a part of my family. How could you...?"

Joker rolled his eyes and gripped her chin. "She wasn't your blood. She would have left you eventually. They always do. When will you realize that?"

"You make me sick." Maddie spat viciously. There was no remorse in his eyes as he spoke. She could tell he really did believe what he was telling her. "I should never have..." She said, not meaning to say it out loud.

Joker stared into her eyes, searching for that spark that made him fall for her. Those eyes that still made him weak even now when she was sickened by the sight of him. If he had to use force to get through, he would make her see it his way. "Should have never what? Regret is never good for the soul. I did you and Dent a favor." Joker looked back at Harvey, remembering what he had called out before. "And what are you going to do about it if I don't... leave her alone?"

Harvey only glared back at him defiantly in response. Joker grabbed Maddie by the back of her hair, and dangled her over the hospital bed like a piece of bait. He waited a few seconds and started laughing menacingly. "Well, I'll just have to patiently await your rebuttal then." He told him, releasing Maddie and placing her in the corner. "_Stay_." He ordered.

Maddie could have made a run for it, but didn't want to leave Harvey in fear of what Joker was going to do with him. There was no way she'd let him kill him too.

"So, as I was saying before that little interruption..." Joker said, untying Harvey's restraints. He shoved the gun into his hand. "Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order." Joker forced him to point the gun at his own head. "And everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair."

Harvey took a few deep, angry breaths and reached for his coin. "You live." He turned it over. "You die."

"Now we're talkin'." Joker responded, satisfied. At least one of them was willing to play the game his way.

Maddie looked from one man to the other, terrified. "Ha-Harvey? You don't have to do this. Don't do this."

Harvey ignored her pleas and flipped the coin. Dark side. "Looks like you're going to walk out of here. Congratulations."

Joker smiled at him, finding it impossible to hide his excitement. "Now wasn't that exciting? I feel like a proud Mama." He motioned to a sobbing Maddie. "Even makes _me_ want to cry."

Harvey roughly pulled out the tubes and needles from him one by one and sat up in bed. Joker took a few steps towards Maddie. "I guess we should be..."

A gun was pointed at his head in a matter of seconds. "Take one more and I'll put a bullet through your head. That would be the real favor."

"Ah, but the coin doesn't lie, does it?" Joker asked, quizzically.

Harvey cocked the gun. "I'll happily make an exception for you. Just turn around and walk away."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Harvey." Joker responded, looking to Maddie. Even though she was devastated and thought he had deceived her, which he had somewhat, he couldn't leave her with Dent. There was no telling what he'd do. He should know, he made him this way. He jumped slightly when the glass window behind him shattered and Maddie let out a scream.

Joker smiled and moved out into the hallway. On second thought, maybe he wouldn't hurt her. He had no reason to. "You'll want to leave first. Won't be much of this place left in a few minutes." He reached into his pocket and took out the bomb detonator.

Harvey quickly grabbed the bag with his burned clothes in the corner, took Maddie's hand, and dragged her out of the hospital.

--

Gordon could have shit himself when he saw Bruce Wayne was the one who hit the oncoming car at the light. Obviously his Deputy hadn't called him about his sister being found like he had asked. That's what you get for entrusting someone six months on the job. "Mr. Wayne," He said, walking over to him. "That was a very brave thing you did."

"Trying to catch the light?" Bruce asked, trying to seem shaken. He had been in worse crashes in the Tumbler.

Gordon eyed him curiously. "You weren't protecting the van?" He opened his phone when it rang. "Gordon. What? You've got to be kidding me!" Gordon turned away from Bruce, covering one ear. "You lost the Wayne girl?"

Bruce stood at attention, overhearing. "What?"

Gordon barked a few more orders over the phone and hung up, turning back to a concerned Bruce. "There's nothing to be worried about, Mr. Wayne. Your sister wandered into Gotham General a couple of hours ago."

"Why didn't someone call me? Is she alright?" Bruce asked, worried.

"As far as I could tell, she was fine, just shaken up. She passed out after I found her and was taken to a room to be examined. I left one of my Deputy's with her. He tried to call your place but no one answered. He left a message." Gordon explained, his face tightening for the next bit. "He lost track of her in the hospital. She..."

BOOM!

Gordon's head whipped around as an explosion shook the ground. Gotham General.

--


	19. Home

--

_Stay put. You'll be safe here. Don't try and follow me._Those were the last words Maddie remembered before Gotham General was blown to bits. Now all she could see was black, and all she could hear was the steady beep.

"Maddie? Maddie, can you hear me? She just squeezed my hand." A determined voice declared from above her.

"Are you certain, sir?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I felt it."

After the voices came a hand at the side of her head. Fingertips at her cheekbone. Maddie's eyelids slid open slowly, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. What had taken place in the last twelve hours? If it hadn't been for the dream she just had about Harvey, it would have taken her longer to figure it out. The beeping became steadier and steadier. She rubbed both eyes and tried to make out the two, hazy blobs in front of her. But instead, she focused on the ringing in her ears. Most likely from being so close to the explosion. They felt like they were bleeding.

"She's waking up, Alfred. Go find Dr. Parsons." One of the voices said anxiously.

The room was clearer now, and she could make out Bruce sitting at her bedside. His grip on her hand was strong, as if she would disappear at a moment's notice. "Bruce," Maddie uttered weakly, a feeling of safety washing over her. The questions started in only a matter of seconds. "How long have I been here?"

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. He steadied Maddie's shoulders when she tried to sit up. "No, don't try and move yet. Alfred's gone to get the nurse. Let's just wait until they get back and then..."

"No." Maddie interjected, pulling the uncomfortable tubes out of both nostrils. She felt weaker than usual, but this wasn't the time to sit and wait. She needed answers. "What am I doing here? What happened, Bruce?"

Bruce's forehead creased at her question. "Do you... Maddie, what's the last thing you remember?" He asked, masking his deep concern. Only yesterday Dr. Parsons had mentioned to him that sometimes in kidnapping cases the victim experienced memory loss because of the trauma. It could be temporary or even permanent, depending on the patient. His sister was the sharpest person he'd ever met, so he didn't expect that to happen.

Maddie allowed herself sufficient time to think. _Stay put. You'll be safe here. Don't try and follow me. _"I was here in the hospital and I saw the newspaper article about Rachel and Harvey. Oh God." She still couldn't wrap her head around it. Rachel Dawes was dead. RACHEL WAS DEAD. It was unfathomable. "I had to see for myself that Harvey was okay. I walked in on... Joker had a gun and he was waving it in his face. Saying horrible things. Convincing him to do horrible things."

Bruce had to remember to breathe. This was all too close to him, too personal. The darkness and evil in his life had finally made it's way to his doorstep, and there was nothing he hated more. It was hard enough imagining her in the same room with Joker, let alone threatening her with a gun. The one thing he swore to himself would never happen while he was still breathing. The guilt over not protecting her was proving to be difficult.

"When Joker let him go, I left with Harvey." Maddie continued, slowly recalling the events. "The last thing I remember was being left on the east end of the parking lot. At the edge of the woods."

She had to peer up at her brother after at least a minute of silence to make sure he was still there. His pained eyes were on the palm of his hand. Completely still. Then she realized what was wrong. "Did someone find Harvey? Is he alright?" She asked, voice quivering with each word.

Bruce shook his head, and glanced at her for a moment. Maddie clung to his tweed jacket sleeve and let out a whimper. Again, they sat in silence. If she was being honest with herself, she knew Harvey was dead the moment she walked into his hospital room. Rachel's death had broken him. Mind, body, and soul. And it seemed to have done the same to her brother, who always had to be the strong one. But not now. Now he was in physical agony, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Then, out of nowhere, he came to her mind. She wanted to kick herself for that. To have an operation that would erase the past six days from her memory. HIM of all people. He had blown her life to pieces, and she would never forgive that. _Ever_. But curiosity got the better of her. "Where is he?" Maddie asked.

"Arkham." Bruce responded quickly, "Awaiting trial. Where he belongs. He can't get to you or anyone else." He took her hands in his reassuringly. "I don't want you to think about that, alright? The fact that I made it possible for him to get that close is inexcusable. You'll never know how sorry I am for that. It will never happen again."

Maddie gave him a puzzled look. She should have known he'd blame himself for all of this. "No, Bruce, it was my fault. I shouldn't have caused that trouble at the fundraiser that night. Rachel told me to stay by the bar and I didn't. I knew they had guns. I've known the risks since you told me about... you know. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Bruce shook his head, disagreeably. "It was Rachel. You were just acting on instinct. You did what you thought was best. I should have seen this coming. Made sure you would be protected in the event that..." His eyes wandered to the window, distant.

"You always put the blame on your own shoulders. You can't save the world, Bruce. You're human just like the rest of us. Suit or no suit. I made my own decisions that night. Not very smart ones. Let me take some of it at least." Maddie pleaded with him.

There was the silence again. He wasn't going to budge on the blame thing. He was going to take it all on his own. As usual.

Bruce was still gazing out of the window, a million miles away. He looked back to Maddie and focused intently on her body language. Even now when she was awake, he couldn't read her emotions. That was rare. He could always tell with her, but not now. Something was different. She was held captive by the Joker for almost six days. Longer than any of his past victim's lasted, and they were all found dead. No one had demanded any ransom for her safe return, or tried to use her as a bargaining chip. And the most perplexing question: Why was she still alive? Why did he spare her? None of it made any sense.

"I made up the guest room for you, and whipped up all your favorites for dinner this evening, Miss Madolyn." Alfred told her. He was trying to keep things as upbeat as possible. One of the reasons why he was her favorite person on the planet. He always knew what she needed, didn't push her or give her the third degree. Bruce was another story. His over-protectiveness often clouded his judgement.

Maddie gave Alfred an appreciative nod as she glanced outside to her brother and Dr. Parsons. They were talking closely. Quite and discreet. She was showing him a file and explaining something very carefully. They kept looking into the room. "Alfred, what are they talking about? I feel fine, really."

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. Just want to make sure we can care for you at home. Don't want you leaving the hospital too soon."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Not soon enough. I hate being a _patient_ here. It really sucks."

Alfred chuckled and stroked her hand in agreement. Bruce and Dr. Parsons shook hands and she was on her way to the next patient. Bruce walked back into the room, still staring down at the file. "Well? Can I go home or not?" Maddie asked him. Bruce closed the file and looked directly at Alfred. "Alfred, could you give us a minute, please?"

"Certainly." Alfred answered, looking between Maddie and Bruce worriedly. He patted the girl's shoulder one last time before slipping outside.

Bruce set the file on the bedside table and grimly studied his sister. Maddie crossed her arms over her chest, frustrated. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Even for you. _What_ is going on? Enough with the secrecy. I can take it. Just tell me what the doctor said. I have to stay overnight for observation or something?"

"I know you don't want to talk about what happened while you were being held..."

"That's right. I don't." Maddie shot back.

Bruce nervously shoved his hands in his pockets. "Dr. Parsons seems to think that a rape exam would be a necessary precaution. I agree with her."

Did he really just say that to her? "What? Are you...? No. That didn't happened. I already told the nurse and Jim Gordon that I wasn't hurt. Why would I lie to the police about something like that? If that had happened, I would of said something."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I need to know." Then he raised his head to meet her eyes, and he was suddenly his other self. The Batman. "Did. They. Hurt. You?"

"No."

"They knocked you out and then you woke up and you were somewhere else, right? That's the only way you wouldn't have been seen coming out of the penthouse. That psychopath could have done anything. You were confused when you came to. It's understandable."

"I'm not confused."

"Mad--"

"NO!" Maddie shouted through tears. Her whole body was shaking with anger. "I will not have this conversation with you! I'm not a criminal you're interrogating, Bruce. I'm your sister! Don't you think if something that... terrible happened to me I'd want them to pay? I'm not as big of an idiot as you think that I am."

"Then how do you explain the bruises?" Bruce demanded.

--


	20. Funerals & Doubt

--

_"Then how do you explain the bruises?" Bruce demanded._

Maddie was forced to tell Bruce everything that had happened with Scott. The whole terrible, fucked up, illogical story... and in a hospital room no less. Hearing herself say it out loud made her sick to her stomach. Ashamed. And relieved in a way. The worst part was that finally admitting it to someone made it real. She tried to explain to her brother when things changed, why she stayed, why she didn't tell him after the first hit. But she felt like they were just excuses. It was something she would deal with in time. Bruce listened, not saying a word.

She noticed an expression of guilt on his face. "What, Bruce?"

"I was just thinking, wondering... if this would have happened if our Father were alive. I wish you would have told me." Bruce answered. Maddie looked back at him with a knowing expression. "We both know why I didn't. It's over. I just want things to go back to normal, okay?" Bruce nodded. She pulled him into a tight hug. He went on to tell her about Batman being a wanted man and she did the listening, deciding not to argue with his decision. It's not like it would last long. There would never be order in Gotham, but without Batman, there would be no justice either. It was only a matter of time before that got to him.

--

A few hours later Maddie was driven back to the Penthouse. Bruce made it clear in the car that there was no way she was going back to her apartment, and Alfred was on his side for once. She didn't even try to put up a fight. As much as she loved her, the last thing she needed was a thousand questions from Jane. Of course her friend would mean well, but she couldn't deal with the grilling. Not now. Maybe not ever. Scott's murder was still on her conscience, which she had left out of her lengthy explanation to Bruce.

As she stepped off of the elevator, both men on either side of her, Bruce suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him, confused by his worried look. "Are you alright?" He asked seriously.

"Will you please stop? Both of you? I'm fine. Honestly." Maddie assured them, looking from one to the other sincerely. They both glanced around the room and suddenly it dawned on her. The night of the fundraiser. This is where it happened. She should have felt uneasy or on some level a little afraid, but she didn't. In fact, she felt nothing. Numb was a good way to describe it. If they wouldn't have brought it up, she wouldn't have even noticed.

Maddie grabbed her bag from Alfred's shoulder. "I just want to lie down." She said and walked towards the downstairs hallway that lead to the guest bedrooms.

As Bruce moved to follow her, Alfred stopped him. "When she's ready, Master Bruce, she'll tell you. If she ever is. We must respect that."

--

It was impossible to sleep that night due to the nightmares and the violent thunderstorm. Something Maddie had always been afraid of as a child, and even as a young adult. She guessed it was because there was a storm the night of her parents' funeral. She remembered feeling so alone hiding under the covers until she finally cried herself to sleep. When she did manage to nod off the nightmares would come. They varied from her laying next Joker in a small bed in his cell to Bruce trying to kill him as Batman. Then they would try to kill one another. In one of them, they both died, and she was standing in the front row of an empty church, peering into both of their open caskets.

She awoke in a cold sweat and stared up at the ceiling blankly. It was nearly three in the morning. Rustling outside of the door caught her attention and she opened the door and looked into the hallway. Bruce was tossing and turning on the couch, adjacent to the elevator, only feet away. He probably thought Joker was going to send a few of his guys over to grab her again. Highly unlikely. According to him he was done with her and that was a good thing.

The next day, she stayed in the bedroom in a daze, and still couldn't get to sleep. There were too many interruptions anyway. Alfred coming to the door every five minutes to check on her or ask if she needed anything. Her answer was always "_no, thank you"_. Bruce stayed close by, making some conference calls from home, and refused to go into the office, even when Alfred told him they'd be fine there alone. His answer was also always _"no, I think I'll stick around here today_._" _He didn't seem to trust that she would be safe at the Penthouse with Alfred. It took all of her strength not to blow up at him, and she almost did. But right before, she caught him staring off into space standing in the middle of the kitchen. Alone. She thought that was strange, until she saw what he was so transfixed by.

A framed photo of Rachel on one of the shelves. She cried for almost an hour in the bedroom after that, cursing herself for being so selfish. It was hard to believe she was gone. But she knew it was harder on him.

And to top it all off, she had been avoiding calls from Adam and Jane. But all of that wasn't what was really bothering her. It was her constant thoughts of him. Of Joker. She tried to imagine him at Arkham, sitting in a cold cell alone, most likely without the makeup. She wondered what he was doing, if he thought about anything, and if he did, did he think of her? It was maddening. But it was also something that she couldn't shut off. He was burned into her brain permanently.

--

Rachel's funeral was on the fifth day. Bruce helped Rachel's parents, who had been living in Seattle for the last couple of years, plan it and paid for the service. It took Maddie three hours just to pick out a dress. She kept trying to think of what Rachel would have liked on her, and finally found one she had only worn once. It was to the opera three years ago. Rachel had bought it for her as a surprise. Excitement seemed to fill Rachel's eyes when she handed it over in the black plastic from the store.

_"I saw this and I thought of you. It was really delicate and beautiful, just sitting there in the window. I literally closed my eyes and saw you wearing it. Weirdest thing." Maddie smiled, looking over the dress admiringly. "You're the weirdest thing and this is completely unnecessary, but I love it. Thanks."_

The funeral service was small, not showy, but Bruce knew that's how she would have wanted it. Maddie had written down some things she wanted to say the night before, but couldn't bring herself to walk to the podium. It was still too fresh and almost as if she hadn't accepted Rachel's death yet. Even with the closed casket sitting before all the people. Besides, she would just end up falling apart and Bruce and Alfred would be even more worried, and that wasn't what any of them needed. Bruce and Alfred said a few words, so did Rachel's parents, and some people she was close to at work.

Jim Gordon lingered in the back the entire time, keeping his head down, not wanting to be noticed. The only reason Maddie did notice was because he was the only one holding a white flower to put on the casket. Everyone else's was either red or yellow, Rachel's two favorite colors. She felt bad for him. He couldn't have known. Though it wasn't the first time he had shown up since she'd been back home. He had come by on Wednesday to get an official statement concerning the kidnapping, but Bruce wouldn't have it. He argued that when Maddie was ready she would tell him, and he would call to schedule a time. Gordon was courteous and seemed to understand.

Afterwards, Maddie sipped a glass of water as Alfred made lunch on the kitchen counter. Bruce walked in with a sour look on his face, followed closely by Gordon, who didn't exactly look thrilled either. "Maddie, you remember Commissioner Gordon."

"Of course. Nice to see you again." Maddie said, giving him a forced smile.

Gordon politely returned it. "You as well. Can't say I don't wish it were under different circumstances. But I really do need..." He glanced at Bruce cautiously. He knew this was hard for him. If it were his own sister or daughter, God forbid, he would be reacting the same way. "...to get an official statement from you about the kidnapping. It's been almost a week. Better to get the information while it's still fresh."

"I should call our attorney before you begin." Bruce commented.

"Bruce." Maddie protested, giving him a warning look. "That's not necessary. I can answer his questions."

Bruce lingered in the kitchen with Alfred as Maddie sat down across from Gordon in the living room. Surprisingly, they were attempting to give them privacy. Gordon shifted in his seat uncomfortably and took out a battered legal pad from his briefcase. "These are standard questions. Feel free to stop me if you need a moment."

_Please don't ask about Scott._

"I really did hold off for as long as I could. I know this can't be easy for you with what you've been through. You're the only..." Gordon trailed off. He stared at his shoes.

"What?" Maddie asked.

"I was going to say you're the only one who's ever survived after being taken by him. You were very lucky, Miss Wayne."

Maddie just nodded.

"Why don't you start from the beginning. Take me through the night of the abduction step by step?"

"Well," Maddie began, "I was here at the fundraiser gala and I guess I wasn't myself. I had had a lot of champagne. When they came in with the guns, I shot my mouth off. I do that sometimes. Rachel had confronted him and I told him to leave her alone. Next thing I know a guy has a gun to my head and then he approached me."

"Joker?"

_JACK._

"Yeah. He... Well, I guess you know what happened. There were enough witnesses. He told me that if I didn't leave with him quietly that he would kill Alfred." Maddie explained. "I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."

"Of course not." Jim nodded in agreement while scribbling on his pad.

"The last thing I remember was being lead into the alley. A white van was there waiting."

"Anything written on the side? License plate number?"

Maddie shook her head softly. "It was unmarked. I didn't look for plates. I was knocked unconscious before I even knew what was happening."

"What's the next thing you remember?"

"I woke up in a room."

"Apartment... house... some kind of building?" Gordon interjected.

"Definitely a house. I could see trees out of the second story window. Lots of them. It seemed like it was outside of Gotham. That was pretty much it until he let me go. I stayed in the room. People in masks brought me food and water."

"Did anyone mention ransom? Why he never demanded any?"

"No. To be honest, I don't even know what I was released..."

_Liar. You know exactly why he made you leave. _

"...he just came in one morning and said it was my lucky day. I was blindfolded, put in the same van, driven to an alley across the street from Gotham General, and they left me there."

"Did you ever see any of them without the masks?"

"No. But they were the same ones from the robberies in the paper. Clowns. They all sort of ran together."

Gordon looks down at a file, perplexed.

"Is something wrong?"

"It says here in your medical report from the clinic that there were bruises and that they were inflicted prior to the kidnapping." Gordon made eye contact with her. The last thing he wanted was for this bastard to get away with anything else. "Is that correct?"

"Yes. I wasn't harmed physically. Not once. I want to make that clear."

Gordon's eyes narrowed as he flipped to the next page. "So, this kid Scott Mayer, how long were you two together?"

"Almost a year. The fight happened a little over three weeks ago and I... left. Couldn't take it anymore. But it had happened before that. It wasn't the first time. I haven't spoken to him since and I don't plan to ever again."

"Sure, sure. The only reason I bring it up... Well, I guess you're going to find out sooner or later. Scott Mayer was found dead a little over a week ago while you were being held. I asked around. People who knew him said you were the closest person to him."

Maddie ran her hands through her hair. "I, um, sorry I don't really know what to say. Like I said we weren't on good terms. I didn't know much about his life outside of our relationship. He was a very private person."

"I see. Did he mention any enemies he might have had?"

"Not that I know of."

Gordon nodded. "That's what the others said too. Maybe this is out of line considering, but you should have reported the son of a bitch the first time he laid a hand on you. We could have helped."

"Sometimes you think your love can change a person." Maddie said with a shrug. "I thought I could, that love could change him. I was stupid."

"There's nothing stupid about wanting to believe in someone." Gordon handed her his card. "Let me know if you remember anything else."


	21. Back To Normal

---

Maddie stared out of the rain spattered car window from the backseat as the town car rolled into the busy downtown area. The city of Gotham appeared to be business as usual without Batman. People were walking on the sidewalks on cell phones, getting out of cars, walking kids to school. She still couldn't believe Bruce had given up. She hated to put it that way. Giving up wasn't something her brother ever did. But that's what it felt like.

"It's not the right time." Bruce had explained to her, before slipping out to one of his many business meetings he had had over the past few days. "Harvey's death changed things. I'm not the hero that they need."

She didn't believe that and his eyes told her that he didn't either. Not deep down anyway. Maddie sighed as they turned into the gates of the Gotham University campus. She told herself today was the day she would return to the real world. Back to her old life and routines. As dull as they might have been, they created a sense of normalcy that she needed. Now more than ever.

But all she had to do was look into the front seat to know that nothing would ever be normal again. That the kidnapping, in her own second home, had put everyone close to her on high alert. Before she could even step out of her bedroom that morning, Bruce was briefing Alfred for the fifth time about new security precautions. She could only hear half mumbles behind the closed door, but didn't need to hear the words. She knew exactly what they were talking about. Her IPod distracted her long enough to get ready for the day without gritting her teeth.

Bruce had also bestowed _Harold_ to Alfred and he was instructed to keep it with him at all times in case anything were to happen. Harold was the name Maddie had given the "bat phone" when she first discovered that it existed. It basically had the ability to reach Bruce anywhere he might be at any given moment if there was an emergency. Wayne Industries, any one of his numerous cars, the bat cave, ect. To her it was ridiculous. It just made him look more paranoid. If that was possible, which at this point it wasn't.

And when Maddie pled her case and tried to explain to him just how crazy he was acting, he just gave her one of his annoying smirks, the one he gave the floozies he tried to pick up at parties, and adjusted his tie. "I want you safe and to stay that way. End of discussion. Alfred will take you wherever you need to go."

She pulled away from him slightly when he kissed her temple and let out a deep breath. Alfred could only give her a knowing side glance as Bruce disappeared behind the elevator doors. There was obviously nothing he could do to convince her brother of her safety. And he had tried. Countlessly to no avail.

But as he stopped the car in front of the stone steps leading to the double doors, Maddie noticed Alfred's head turning slowly in every direction, scoping out the premises. Probably his army instincts kicking in. She had only seen that happen a few times in her life. He would get very quiet and watchful and have an expression like he was ready for anything. But unlike Bruce, he was more reasonable about it.

Maddie half waved to Alfred on the way up the steps, trying not to draw too much attention from the passing students. He rolled down the window and leaned over the seat. "Do you have the...?"

"Yes." She assured him with a sigh. "I have the number and I promise if I see anyone leering from a dark corner, I will call it."

And then he was gone. Finally. Alone for the first time in almost three weeks. It was a good thing she wasn't in high school anymore. Her brother would have had the security team at the private academy on high alert with one phone call. Fortunately for her, Gotham University was a public institution that didn't care as much about students' safety in the daytime while on campus.

She arranged some books in her bag as she walked and was suddenly stopped by someone's hand on her shoulder in front of her. She let out a small gasp, startled out of her own little world, and her eyes fell on Adam. His expression was bright and excited. She smiled up at him warmly. "You're wet." She said with a soft chuckle, brushing some rain off of his suede jacket.

Rather than responding verbally, Adam enveloped her in a tight hug. It was the first time she'd felt completely calm in awhile. She noticed students staring over his shoulder. Her cheek dropped to his shoulder and she secretly wished he would take her hand and drive off with her on the back of his motorcycle.

He exhaled with relief and kissed her hair. "I was so worried about you." Adam said, facing her. "I've been calling and calling, but I figured..."

"I've been kind of out of it. I'm sorry. I should have called you back."

Adam adamantly shook his head. "Don't apologize. I didn't have class today, so I thought I'd take a chance. Can't believe you're back so soon after everything."

Maddie lead him inside the lobby and sat across from him on a sofa in the far corner. She could feel all of the eyes on her without having to look up. Adam followed her line of vision and found himself glaring menacingly. He quickly rectified the situation by switching places with Maddie, so that her back was to the crowds.

"Better?" Adam asked hopefully. Maddie smirked and nodded, hand on her forehead. "I was the only one who thought I could deal with this. Obviously. It took days to convince Bruce. God, Adam, it's terrible. It's like I'm a prisoner."

Adam's face darkened at the term _prisoner_. "He's just looking out for you. If I were him I'd be doing the same thing. I still can't believe it. When I heard one of the witnesses being interviewed on the news describing what happened at the fundraiser..."

He had to hold onto the sides of the couch cushions to control himself. The thought of her in that kind of danger made his blood boil. He'd never wanted to help someone, to save someone, more in his whole life. She had been at the mercy of a cold blooded killer with no conscience to speak of. His unrequited love. _His_ Maddie.

Snap out of it, idiot. You're here to help. Not to stir up more unwanted problems for her to deal with. "I keep thinking I could have done something if I'd just been there like you'd asked me. The scientist guy didn't even show up that night. I waited at the lab all night. I'm sorry I wasn't there, Mad."

She put a comforting hand on his and stroked his thumb. "Adam. Come on. What could you have done?"

"Something. Anything." Adam answered, dragging a frustrated hand over his face. "I didn't know what to think. If you were alive or... I'm just glad you're okay. Physically at least."

That last comment made Maddie look away from him. No. She was not okay emotionally. Not even close. And then something Adam said got her attention and quick. "What?" She asked.

"I said at least he's locked up until the trial." Adam repeated.

For some reason, she hadn't thought about that. The fact that Joker would be tried and convicted and put behind bars was completely foreign to her. What else had she thought would happen? It was only a matter of time before his crimes caught up to him. Her kidnapping certainly wasn't the first.

"They set a trial date on Friday. Two months. They're building this massive case against him. It's been all over the papers and let's just say Mike Engel's about to have the best year of his life. Hopefully they have enough to put him away forever. Bury the key."

But his words still weren't registering with her. She'd have to testify. Could she do that, knowing what she knew? Having done what she did? Falling for him? Even if it was for a second. She certainly didn't feel anything but hate for him now after what he'd done to Rachel and Harvey, but the line was still blurred. All she would have to do was look into his eyes, over the microphone on the witness stand, and it would all be over.

_Shit._

She couldn't even begin to imagine him in an eight by ten cell at Arkham with a cot taking up half the space. He was too powerful, too outlandish. He'd die in that place. That closed in. There was no way he would survive. And as much as she hated to admit it, that bothered her. It bothered her a great deal.

_SHIT_. _You have ruined my life._

Adam watched as Maddie's skin turned to a pale shade of white. His hand grazed her cheek and lifted her chin so they were at eye level. "Hey?" Adam said softly, trying to read her expression. It wasn't terror, just blank. He could feel her body trembling and hands shaking. He hated seeing her like this. "You okay? Say the word and we're out of here. My bike's parked outside."

Maddie opened her mouth to say, "Yes, let's get the hell out of here and never come back," but knew she had to stay. "No. I need to do this, Adam. Get back to my life."

Adam half-nodded, not really believing that was for the best right now. But he left it alone and took her hand again, trying to reassure her. "Look, I know you're scared. But he's locked up. He can't get to you."

Maddie glanced at the clock behind his head. "I've got to get to class."

"Yeah. Okay." Adam said, worriedly. "Do you want me to come back tonight and take you home?"

Maddie stood up and secured her bag over her shoulder. "My trusty steed will be here at six on the dot. You know I'd much rather have a ride on the bike though. I miss the bike."

Adam chuckled. "Bike misses you more."

She promised to call him before he left her there. The rest of the day didn't go as planned either. The constant staring was becoming a "thing" in all of her classes. They obviously were very well informed as to what happened to her. Poor little rich girl. A walking target. It was like her childhood happening all over again after her parents died and she resented every one of them. But instead of telling them all to go to hell, she sat quietly and took kick ass notes.

After the bell for the second to last class rang, she jolted from her seat and headed out as if struck by lightning. No reason to stay longer than needed. She squeezed past everyone and burst into the hallway, heading for the student lockers.

She leaned against the ugly grey metal, breathing in and out. Just keep breathing. Only one more to go. Thank God the film class was next and all she would have to do was sit in a dark room for two hours. She whipped around and opened her locker, only to drop to her feet as stuff began falling out.

One envelope caught her eye as she stuffed the contents into her bag. It was light purple with a white ribbon wrapped around it. Unmarked. She turned it over and the words written in black ink stopped her breathing again. This time for a whole minute.

**ANGEL FACE. **

**Open Me.**


	22. Visiting Day

--

While gripping Adam's jacket with white knuckles from the back of his motorcycle, Maddie got to thinking that this field trip to Arkham might be a colossal mistake. She should have just thrown the letter away. Never even opened it in the first place. But, of course, she did. Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

Joker had requested to see her one last time in the flesh, and promised that if she came, he would never bother her again. It was signed, **With Love, J.** Whether or not that was a lie was irregardless. She needed closure from this whole mess. When she called Adam to come and pick her up, he hit the roof.

_"Call Gordon. The police need to know. This means he can get to you whenever he wants, on the streets or off. Then call Alfred and tell him to high tail it to campus. Don't take a cab." Adam pleaded with her. "It's not safe there. Stay inside until you see him drive up."_

But she didn't listen to his advice. Instead, he was the one who showed up fifteen minutes later after she threatened to take a cab to Arkham herself. He let her know that she was the craziest chick, yes he used that word specifically, he'd ever known and that there was no way in hell she was going alone. She might have also said that if anything did happen to her while she was there, it would be his fault.

That got him hook, line, and sinker.

As they made a sharp turn on the interstate, Maddie wrapped her arms around Adam's waist. These trips had actually been a thing with them since Senior year of high school. The Summer before the school year started, Adam went to visit his father, who was an ex-marine, in Chicago. He had heard about his son's trouble with bullies from his mother, who pretty much never stopped babying him, and decided it was time for his only son to know how to take care of himself.

To make a long story short, he taught him how to handle himself in a fight, put him on a strenuous exercise regime, filled his head full of the "leave no man behind" stuff, and the meek, passive Adam came back to Gotham City a changed person.

Well, not really changed. He was still his geeky, intellectual, nice guy self, but with an edge. Evidence: The motorcyle. His father bought the parts cheap and built it himself in his garage. He called Maddie the weekend he returned home and told her he was driving her to school on Monday. She almost spit out her cereal. Drive? Yeah, right. He was notorious for being the worst driver on the planet. He'd failed driver's education twice in the same semester.

So, when she heard the revving engine and saw her own best friend on the monster bike, she almost fainted. His appearance had changed completely. His hair wasn't in his face anymore, but was messily combed back. He had contacts instead of the glasses. His body was toned and he actually had muscles. He was like a cross between Peter Parker and James Dean.

Smart AND gorgeous? That was the entire package. Girls from school who never gave him a first or second glance before were drooling all over themselves just to get to him. He went out with a few of them, but was never all that enthusiastic about anyone. Maddie was amused by his newfound popularity and was always whistling at him as he walked away or calling him "rockstar". He would only laugh, ruffle her hair, and say she was the only girl in his life. She always felt bad after he said that. He was never the only guy in hers. Not even close. Nevertheless, he was still simply "her Adam". Always there for her when she needed him. A shoulder to cry on. A date to school dances and events when she wasn't seeing anyone serious.

"Look, this isn't a good idea and you know it." Adam said, pulling off his helmet and her own. "Let me take you home. Who gives a damn if he wants to see you?"

"He said if I came he would leave me alone." Maddie spat, annoyed at his insistence. He hadn't stopped since they'd left campus.

Adam scrubbed a hand over his face. "He's probably just going to try and scare you into not testifying against him! Do you know how often this happens? And if he doesn't, he'll find someone else on the outside who _will_. Witnesses in cases like this disappear everyday, especially in Gotham. The cops are worse than the criminals. It was easy enough leaving a note for you, to get to you."

She almost caved. He was right and she knew it, but it still didn't change the fact that she needed to hear what Joker had to say. Wanted to know. "I _need_ to do this." Maddie protested. "It's the only way to get past it. I need you to be my best friend right now."

Adam paced in the dirt, frustrated beyond belief. She obviously needed to do it. But that didn't mean he had to like it. In all honesty, the thought of her within ten feet of this guy made him wants to break things. He gave her a nod and stayed silent.

"Good. I shouldn't be more than half an hour." Maddie told him and started to walk towards the steps. But Adam caught the back of her arm before she got any further. She knew that look. _The Adam Valenti Translation:_ If you go, I go. Deal with it.

Shit. This would go over really well.

--

According to the nurse leading them down the hallway, an orderly had tried to give Joker a sedative and he proceeded to bite half of their ear off. He was put into solitary confinement in the suicide wing, not because he was trying to kill himself, but because there was no room in the section for maximum security patients, and had been in a straight jacket for three days. Maddie cringed throughout the grueling story and felt Adam's hand linger reassuringly at the middle of her back. He shouldn't be here with her. Not in front of Joker. He had killed Scott without hesitation. There was no telling what he would do if he saw them together.

"He has limited use of his body and is on a lot of sedatives. That and your last name are the only reasons the hospital is allowing this." The mousy, blonde nurse explained. She let out a worried sigh. "It took five orderly's and a male nurse just to pull him off of Rob. Poor guy."

"Is he alright?" Adam asked, more out of curiosity than concern.

"He's going to recover, but he quit yesterday. I don't blame him."

Maddie found herself staring at the small windows of the rooms with metal doors as they passed. Every muscle in her body tensed when one of the male patients pressed his face against the glass and licked it with his tongue. He must have heard them approaching. She looked away and felt Adam give her hand a light squeeze. The darkness in that place was unbelievable. She wondered how anyone could stand it for more than an hour.

They finally stopped in front of a door at the very end. The nurse took a few steps back, obviously afraid of what was behind it, and pulled a chair out from the corner. The door was equipped with five locks from the outside and had no window. Only a slot for food trays. "Only one at a time." The nurse warned. "Visits can only last half an hour. Someone will be over to walk you back."

She pointed to a camera a few feet away. "If you need anything, just tell them. The room also has a camera inside. They can be here within a few seconds."

--

Maddie walked inside the padded cell and stared at the sight ahead. The heavy door closed behind her, but she didn't notice.

There he was lying on a cot, body restrained in the white jacket, eyes closed. To her surprise, the makeup was still on his face, but sweat had washed a lot of it away on his forehead. They must be letting him use it.

She inched closer, feeling her heart pulsating with each step. Looking at him, it was like they hadn't spent any time apart. Damn these feelings, damn them to hell. Now she was the one sweating and having thoughts she shouldn't be having about him. Worry being one of them. His body looked haggard. Tired. Dead.

She held her hand out slowly to touch his heaving chest, and gasped when Joker's eyes popped open without warning, and his hand gripped her own. "I knew you were here before the door opened. My luscious, perfect Angel Face."

He licked his bottom lip and breathed heavily. Her scent was enough to send him into a tailspin. But there was another smell that didn't suit him. Ink and paper. His eyes hardened, moving to the closed door. "The boy toy thing outside on the other hand... who is he?" He growled with annoyance.

Maddie moved to get herself out of his tight grip on her wrist, but it was damn near impossible. "I... he's a friend. He insisted, wouldn't let me come alone."

"Aw. Don't tell me-" Joker chuckled, pulling her down to his face. "-that you're afraid of, uh, itty bitty little me?"

Maddie just shook her head, eyes burning into his. Even his smile couldn't mask his clear annoyance and insane jealously over Adam's presence, someone he had never even met. Thank God for the straight jacket.

"Well, fair warning, precious. He's in love with you. No doubt about it." Joker stated, simply. "But who could blame him? No man could resist a radiant..." He picked his head off of the cushion until he was only inches away from her face. And with a hoarse whisper, "...succulent woman such as yourself. The note was a lie. I wanted you to come so you could see. I can't let you go and the same goes for you. Ever."

Maddie pushed her body away from him, back into a standing position. Deep breaths and a scowl on her face. She knew this was a trick and hated how he could read her intimate thoughts. "But you did let me go. You sent me away. _You_ did this."

She shook her head violently, tears forming, and started for the door. He didn't get to torture her like this. She was aiming to hurt him in any way possible. "You have no claim on me. None." She spat, viciously.

That small term _no claim _must have really gotten his ass in gear, because before she knew what was what, there was a massive ripping sound and her body was forced against the wall.

Maddie's vision blurred momentarily, wind knocked out of her. His free arm pinned both of her arms above her head. "Let me go." She whispered, not wanting to get Adam's attention outside. She wondered where the so-called camera was in the room or if there even was one.

What was she thinking? He probably had people on staff.

He smiled, slowly letting his arm drop. His hand moved down her face to her chest and cupped her breast. Hot breath on her neck and face. She couldn't move a muscle even if she wanted to.

A surprised breath escaped her throat and then a moan when he traveled down the front of her pants. She felt him harden against her and he leaned his head back in ecstasy. This was what he had wanted. Why he asked her to come. He needed to feel her.

"I've thought about you every moment. Imagined watching you sleep, touching you, doing things to you... Wonderful, perverse things. And we'll do them all. Just as soon as I can get myself out of this little predicament." Joker whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "But don't you worry you're pretty head about that. It won't be long."

Maddie's eyes were closed, mouth agape. She couldn't believe or comprehend was was happening, and the fact that she could literally not do a thing to stop it. Her shoes were cemented to the ground.

Her head was telling her to start screaming bloody murder. To call for Adam, who according to Joker was in love with her. She wished that were more of a surprise. Anything to get away from his... intoxication and her inability to deny this man who was completely wrong for her in every way.

Yet, her body wouldn't allow any of that. _You don't want to go, _it assured her. _You want to stay with him. You want to feel the sense of danger that he brings to your life and crave it every second you're not with him and always will. Nothing and no one will satisfy you like he can ever again._

His finger went inside of her and a surge of heat shot up her body. The green mess of tangled hair lowered to her chest. "I... _will not_ be without you. I know you feel the same. You'll come away with me."

And she was considering it. Going away with Joker and his crew. But what kind of life could they lead? Unlike him, she thought about things like that. He was a fugitive on the run from, well, everyone. The police weren't his only enemies. In a way it wouldn't any different from being near Bruce, even if he was her family. How long would it be before she was killed because of him?

That was the reality kicking in.

But there was also the alternate reality. The one controlled by her heart. The one that reminded her that Joker made her feel things that she didn't know existed. The way her body would react when he simply touched her. Head back, eyes closed, the familiar heat rising. Even though his actions were dangerous and most of all unpredictable, deep down she knew she was safe with him. That she would be protected. And that scared her the most. Who could be safe around someone like him? What kind of person did that make her?

He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him, getting her attention. "You belong with me. I know that now. There's nothing you can do to-"

And then quicker than she had been forced against the wall, Joker was ripped off of her with rugged force, and all she could hear was grunting, bone hitting bone, and high pitched laughter. And also mumbling from both men between the punches which she couldn't make out.

How much Adam had seen, she didn't know, but it was obviously enough.

The rapid downward motion and thrusts of three of their fists were making Maddie dizzier than before. The altered state she was in had impairing her in some way. Her body was frozen, unable to stop what was happening. She began thinking about medical explanations for her behavior. Stockholm Syndrome came to mind.

A guard finally ran inside the room and easily pulled Adam off of Joker by both shoulders. He raised both of his hands and backed up slowly, glaring down at the madman, eyes hard and threatening.

Joker was enjoying every minute of it. The romantic rival, or better yet obstacle, was making his day less boring. He smiled up at him as the orderly leaned over to secure his straight jacket. "She's mine, Prince Charming. My Angel Face." Blood spewed from his mouth with every word. "It's funny how you, uh, try so hard. You try so hard, but she doesn't feel the same, does she? Does she?"

Adam's expression confirmed Joker's assessment. This pleased him, even though he knew it was true. Boy's like him always loved girl's like Precious. The kicker was it was usually unrequited.

And then Joker let out his most maniacal roar yet and threw his head back. "Poor little Prince Charming and his hurt feelings! Nothing to do with all of that strength. Reminds me of someone else I know. Too bad, so sad."

The orderly had to hold Adam back again, fists swinging, even more determined to put Joker in his place. "Stay away from her! Understand?! Do you _HEAR_ me, you son of a bitch?! She hates you!"

Still her catatonic state, the minutes between the time the orderly moved Joker out of the room and into the infirmary to sedate him, and the time Adam was standing in front of Maddie and calling her name, were a complete blur.

They were standing in a corner in the lobby. Worried on-lookers started to take notice, immediately recognizing her as "the Wayne girl".

Maddie finally locked eyes with the dark haired, blue eyed boy in front of her. He let out a sigh and scanned her body for injuries. He stared at the barely there red marks on her wrists where Joker had grabbed her with disapproval. "Bastard." He mumbled roughly under his breath. "We need to call Bruce."

Maddie eye's widened at the mention of her brother. There was no way he could know about any of this. That was why she called him in the first place. "No. I'm already under a microscope as it is. This will send him _and_ Alfred over the edge and they'll send me to Greece or something."

"Sounds like a good idea considering." Adam's eyebrows furrowed, concerned. "Did he threaten you? Maddie, if he did, you have to tell me. This isn't something you can just go home and forget about. We should file a report with Gordon. This is your life we're talking about."

"Don't you think I _know_ that?" Maddie asked, voice raised. "He was just trying to scare me. He didn't even mention the trial or testifying or anything about that. This is all a game to him..." She tried to explain, trailing off. Lying to him was killing her, but it had to be done.

He would never understand. No one could.

--

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know. Longest chapter ever. I'm trying to establish Adam more as a character since he's going to be in the story a lot more until the end. But at least I'm back to writing again! I have a lot of ideas for this story and plan on continuing it. Lots of twists and turns coming. Please read/review!**


	23. Secrets Revealed

--

"No, she's alright. Just now." Bruce spoke grimly into his cell phone.

Maddie sat in the living room, arms crossed over her chest. Bruce had been impossible since she'd returned from Arkham with Adam. She was surprised he didn't put out an amber alert. He was obviously saving the "safety first" lecture until after the phone call to Alfred.

Bruce closed his phone and stalked past her towards the bedroom, staying silent. The dark expression on his face said it all.

She rolled her eyes, actually starting to feel bad. Better to start an inevitable fight than to not talk at all. That's always how it had been between them. "So, you're not talking to me now?!"

No answer. Only soft noises and zips coming from his bedroom. To hell with this. She charged towards the room and opened the door, which was cracked halfway. Bruce looked up, surprised, and strangely guarded.

Maddie stood in the doorway. "I'm sorry, okay? I wanted some time by myself and my last class got out early. What do you want me to say, Bruce?"

Bruce let out a sharp breath and continued what he was doing. He wasn't looking at her. "You should have called and told Alfred you weren't going to be there. I can't believe you'd put yourself at risk like that after all that's happened."

Yeah, that was really fair. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to be by myself now?! This is... you're taking this way too far. My kidnapping does _not_ give you the right to treat me like a six year old!"

"It was irresponsible, Maddie!" Bruce shouted at her, trying to calm himself down. Not the easiest thing in the world when it came to this. He had no clue what had gotten into his sister lately. "One phone call was all it would have taken."

"For what? Alfred to track wherever I was and pick me up? I should check my clothes. There's probably a device stashed somewhere."

Maddie abruptly stopped talking when she noticed what Bruce was doing. There was an open suitcase on the bed with brand new clothing inside. Women's clothing. Shopping bags were all over the floor. Perfumes, toiletries, you name it. It was being packed.

Bruce followed her gaze and got very quiet all of a sudden, avoiding eye contact. That was never a good sign. She took a step towards the bag and noticed a familiar bracelet lying on top of everything.

"What's all of this?" Maddie questioned, picking up one of the dresses. She would have known it anywhere. It was Rachel's and after taking a closer look, she realized the bracelet was as well. Bruce had given it to her last year on her birthday at that terrible Indian restaurant. "Are you giving all of this to her parents?"

Bruce stared down at the bedspread. Maddie eyed him suspiciously, trying to read his blank expression. What the hell was going on?

--

At first she thought her earlier suspicions had been confirmed. That Bruce had finally broken down and decided to ship her off to some third world country. That would have been good news compared to what was _really_ going on.

No, it was worse. Much worse. Turned out that Rachel was alive and well and had been staying in a safe house outside of Gotham since the night of the warehouse bomb. Gordon got there in time and saved her and along with Bruce, they came up with a plan to fake her death until after the trial. The only people who knew about it were Gordon, hand picked police officials who weren't on the take, Rachel's parents, and Bruce.

Yeah... talk about fucked up. Maddie didn't know whether to cry, laugh, or throw one of the glass vases out the window after Bruce told her. He had only admitted that Rachel was alive, of course, after Maddie accused him of seeing another woman and giving her Rachel's things. She knew that wasn't the truth, but it seemed like the only way to get it out of him.

Now she was sitting in the Lamborghini, silently stewing, eyes out the window. This was un-freakin'-believable. All of the grieving she did for Rachel, the woman who pretty much half raised her, gone to waste over mistrust.

Rachel nervously tried to explain, sitting next to her in the small living room. She wore an oversized knitted sweater and jeans. Much more casual than her usual style. Bruce stood off to the side, keeping his distance. He knew how angry Maddie was with them and didn't blame her.

"We thought it was for the best." Rachel told her.

"The less people who knew the better. It had to look real or it would never have worked, and then both of you would be in danger." Bruce finally spoke up. "It's just until after the trial when everything's settled down."

Maddie rolled her eyes, blood still boiling. There were the two keywords of the day: _Danger_ and _trial_. If she never heard those words again it would be fine by her.

But as annoyed and betrayed as she felt, Maddie listened to Rachel, who told her that she had wanted to tell her from the beginning, but she knew she was going through so much. It would just be one more thing.

Then Bruce's hand was on top of Rachel's shoulder as he took a seat on the arm of the couch. Her eyes closed and the serene look as she peered up at him told Maddie the next part of the news without having to be told. They had finally admitted their feelings for one another. Against all the odds of the chaos surrounding them.

Batman or no Batman, Rachel had realized after having almost died that she had loved him all along, and simply couldn't deny it any longer. She was brief when talking about Harvey's death, with pain that she hadn't yet dealt with seeping into her voice, and explained that none of this diminished her feelings for him in any way. It was how she had always felt.

Bruce left the room during that discussion to talk to one of the security guards outside. Harvey's demise was still too fresh and came with a lot of guilt on his part.

"He was a good man. Despite what he did in the end." Rachel said sadly, taking a sip of her hot tea. "When he started doing those things, we talked about telling him, but Gordon advised against it. He said he was too far gone."

Maddie nodded softly in agreement. He was right. She had seen Harvey in the hospital with his face blown to bits. Nothing could have pulled him back from that. Not even Rachel, the woman who's death he was avenging. "I'm just... Rachel I'm so glad you're alive." Maddie said, tears spilling from her eyes. She hugged her tightly, chuckling a bit. "But I'm still pissed at you. And Bruce... especially Bruce. He's driving me crazy."

Rachel smiled a little. She knew Bruce was being overprotective, but understood why. His heart was in the right place. "Do a dead woman a favor and cut your brother some slack, okay?"

"Oh, please!" Maddie screeched, pulling back from her. She thought at least that Rachel would be the level headed one in all of this. "He's keeping me locked in the penthouse and monitoring everywhere that I go! Like I'm some kind of a royal princess in a castle that needs to be protected by any means necessary. Don't tell me your on his side?"

"Yeah, when it comes to this I am. We'll get through this, but we need to be really careful while we do it." Rachel looked down worriedly, thinking of her long conversations with Bruce, and how he insisted on taking all of this on himself. Maybe now that they were committed to each other, he would put a stop to that. But she wasn't holding her breath. "He still feels guilty about the kidnapping and just doesn't want anything like that to happen again. Everything he's doing is for us. To keep us safe. Hopefully now that Joker's locked up..."

"Can we not talk about that?" Maddie quickly interrupted. She noticed Rachel give her a strange look, but she didn't bring him up again. There was already enough confusion where her relationship with the Joker was concerned for one day.

But at least one thing worked in her favor as far as Rachel rising from the grave went. On the way back to the Penthouse, she guilted her brother into letting her go back to her apartment. He didn't like it, at all, but agreed to not interfere.

"Fine." Bruce said, almost in a mumble, hands gripping the steering wheel. "But I insist that you take the necessary precautions and use one of the..."

"Bat-phones. I know and I will." Maddie finished his sentence for him, smiling from ear to ear. How amazing would it be to have her own space again? Bruce smirked a little, noticing how happy she was to be getting her way, as always.

"So?" Maddie asked, curiously. "When's the wedding?"

"You're impossible." Bruce scoffed, hiding yet another smile.

--


	24. Story Update

I really didn't know where to go with this story while I was working on it back in 2008 after TDK came out. There needed to be a foil in the Joker/Maddie story and Adam wasn't really a suitable one in my opinion. But after seeing TDKR, I got some new ideas and I'm finally ready to continue with the story! Hoping those of you who read it and liked it before will like where it goes. Should have a new chapter within the next week or so.


	25. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

The first day back in her apartment, Maddie found out that Jane had finally decided on moving in with her boyfriend Parker of two years. "We've been talking about it for awhile. Finally decided to take the plunge." Jane explained, setting two cups of hot tea on the kitchen table. A part of her actually wanted the space all to herself for once. Another was sad to see her friend go, realizing she probably wouldn't see her as much. And another was terrified of being alone with her thoughts.

Jane looked across the table at her friend worriedly. "You sure you're okay…?" Maddie nodded at her with a warm smile. "Of course you're not 'okay'. Stupid question. After everything that crazy bastard put you through. I'll move back in if you're not. I'm serious."

"No." Maddie protested.

"Parker begged until I said yes. I mean, I wanted to move in with him, but he had to beg me. I can delay it for a few months."

"Janey, I'll be fine. I'm happy for you."

Jane played with a loose string on her place mat. "I still can't believe what happened to you. I'd be a basket case. Hope they lock him up for the rest of his life."

Maddie couldn't even respond to that. It felt like she was being pulled in twenty different directions. Damn him for doing this to her.

The second day, the nightmares started at full force and she realized how afraid she really was of the Joker's pull on her and of him in general. Everything about him frightened her in the dreams. His face. His body. His touch. The sound of his feet walking towards her across the floor. The footsteps were loud during her captivity because of the wood floors. She always heard him coming. All she did was run from him in the dreams and all he did in them was hurt her physically and emotionally until she became afraid enough to wake up with a start, sweat dripping down her forehead. In one of them, they were at Arkham that day during the visit and it ended with him slitting her throat.

After that, she hired a locksmith to put two more dead bolts on the door. She obsessively checked them even when she was in the house for the day. She was also convinced that Joker's goons were following her. One afternoon she was in a coffee shop after classes got out and noticed a man staring at her outside of the store window. He was tall and gangly and wore a grey hoodie. He tried to act like he was just standing against a post reading the paper, but was obviously watching her. And closely. Maddie checks behind her cautiously after leaving and feels like she's being watched for the rest of the day.

Was it just paranoia? She didn't trust her own mind anymore.

Weeks pass and she see's less of everyone: her friends and Bruce and Alfred. Most of her time is spent in classes or at the hospital. Work seemed like the only thing to keep her mind off things. Between the daily nightmares and suspicions of being followed, it was all too much to handle.

She caved when Bruce left at least ten voicemails for her in the span of a week inviting her over for dinner. He noticed the change in her quickly. She felt his eyes studying her from across the table and feels her whole body flinch when his hand brushes hers. He withdraws it, surprised.

"Sorry." Maddie mumbles, cutting the fat from the edges of her steak.

"When was the last time you slept?" Bruce asked her directly.

"Bruce, don't start. Please."

"Alfred's the one who brought it up. I suspected, but didn't think anything of it until just now. He's worried. So am I." Bruce sighed, watching his sister eat and her hand tremble as she lifted her fork. "How often do you get them… the nightmares?"

"Bruce." She warned him again, looking up this time.

"It's normal after what you've been through. Doctor Parsons gave me the name of a specialist the day you checked out of the hospital. Call him."

"No."

"You need to talk to somebody."

"I don't need a shrink." Maddie said with a frustrated laugh.

"You shouldn't be alone."

"STOP treating me like a child. You wanted me to come to dinner. I didn't feel up to it, but I came any way. Isn't that enough? What do you want from me?"

"Anyone can be traumatized. It doesn't make you-"

Maddie drops her fork on the table with a loud clank. "I'm not afraid of him. He's in prison." Bruce watches her, disbelieving. "You know what would be really nice? If for once I could go through something on my own without you and Alfred teaming up to jump down my throat. You don't know anything about it."

He tried to touch her hand again. "Maddie, please."

She moved it away. "Leave me alone."

A week later, she was making something in the kitchen a little after eleven not able to sleep and there was a soft knock at the door. She grabbed the baseball bat next to the couch and looked out of the peephole. A younger cop. She put the bat down and opened the door with a confused expression.

He really was the youngest looking cop she'd ever seen with boyish good looks, black hair, and a kind smile. He was wearing a GCPD issued jacket and looked like he was freezing. "Miss Wayne?" He said.

"Last time I checked. What can I do for you tonight officer?"

It took John a moment to respond as he couldn't stop staring at her. He expected Maddie Wayne to be attractive because of her frequent picture in the paper during and after her kidnapping, but the black and white print definitely did not do her justice. She was probably the most stunning woman he had ever seen up close. When he noticed he was still staring, he snapped out of his daydream and immediately went into professional mode, flashing his badge. "I'm, um, I'm Office Blake with the GCPD."

"I know." Maddie told him and motioned to the clearly visible emblem on his jacket.

John looked down at it and let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Right. Commissioner Gordon asked me to come by and check your apartment. Well, your brother asked him and he asked me and you were on my way home." Strike one. Too much information. Way to sound like a babbling idiot, John.

"I see." Maddie said, trying not to laugh at his nervous demeanor. It was kind of cute in an awkward way and he was the first person to make her want to smile in weeks. "Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

John shook his head. "I don't think so. I would've remembered you." Strike two. He could have smacked himself for that one. John holds his badge out to her, slowly remembering why he'd taken it out in the first place. "Take a look at it if it makes you feel more comfortable or call the station." He steps back into the hallway. "I'll wait out here."

He could only imagine how paranoid she must have been after everything. He watched as her body tensed and she looked away awkwardly to pull her sweater around her small body. He glanced past her into the dark apartment, tensing a bit himself. "Any unwanted visitors… something like that?" He asked, studying her body language carefully. That was one of the only things he was confident about regarding his job: his instincts.

"Hey." He said to her in almost a whisper and she turned to look at him. "If something's wrong in there give me a signal. Blink your eyes. Touch your hair. Anything."

Maddie shook her head softly. "It's just too quiet in here. Only me tonight, Officer Blake." Normally, she would trust someone with a kind face like John Blake's, but not tonight and probably never again. She reached for his badge and her fingers brushed his. They both noticed but chose to ignore it. "So, you want to search my apartment?"

"Just a quick sweep if you'll allow it, Miss Wayne."

"One condition." She said, peeking at the ID inside his badge. "John."

"What's that?"

"Call me Maddie."

John smiled and nodded slightly, still embarrassed being in her presence for some odd reason. "Yes ma'am." Strike three. You're out.

Maddie moved aside for him to enter. "Did you just call me ma'am?"

"Bad habit. My partner and I were interviewing witnesses all day." John said and started to walk through her small apartment. He had expected it to be larger because of her bank account, but that was probably an unfair assumption. He looked in the bedroom, the closets, the bathroom, down the fire escape, and checked the windows. Everything seemed to be in order. When he got back to the kitchen area, she had made them coffee, and he couldn't help but watch her move… it was more of a glide… from the coffee maker to the sink.

"Sit down."

John shook his head. "Got to get back."

"To what? You said it was the end of your shift."

John smiled at her. "I did say that, didn't I?" She set the coffee cups down and he took a seat. "In that case, sure."

"You're so young."

John looked at her strangely. "Thanks?"

"I just meant for a cop. You look so young."

"I'll take that as a complement."

Maddie turns her wrist when she reaches for the sugar and John notices the fading bruises on her skin. "That from the kidnapping?"

She dropped the canister of sugar and quickly retrieved it in one nervous motion. "Yes." Maddie answered, glancing over at him briefly. Most likely the bruises were from that day at Arkham during their visit. She slowly poured sugar into her coffee mug and offered some to John.

He shook his head, suddenly wracked with guilt for making her so anxious.

"It's just a bruise." Maddie tells him and moves to put the sugar back in the center of the table. John gently takes it from her and does it himself. "He won't hurt you or anyone else. We'll make sure of that."

"Not only young, but also idealistic. You're not like the others are you?" She asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"The other officers. I've met almost all of them volunteering at the hospital. Most of them are rough. Jaded because of what they see everyday in this city. But you're not are you?"

John's brow furrowed as he listened to her. He wasn't upset about what she'd said. It was probably true. Gordon had told him the same thing once when they were alone. A lot of cops he worked with on the street had become jaded. Some of them (most of them now) were on the take. Dirty. But he still felt the need to defend them. "We see a lot of messed up stuff. It changes you. I'm guilty of some frustration from time to time. I try and treat everyone with the respect they deserve even when they don't."

"I've seen you at the boy's home too. That's where I remember you from."

He looked up at her, surprised. "When?"

"On Monday when they hired me."

"As what?"

"A volunteer. Rich girls don't need jobs."

John chuckled softly. "Right."

"I was walking out of the Reverend's office and you were talking to a few of the kids. Showing them the yo-yo."

"They didn't know how to use it properly. When do you start?"

"Next week. Just a few afternoon's a week. Some weekends. I guess you could say that I'm trying to get my mind off of my real life."

"Well, they're lucky to have you. Now I know who Kevin was talking about. The short, stocky one. Watch out for him. He thinks you're 'mad cute'."

Maddie smiled, embarrassed. They awkwardly lock eyes for a moment when a loud pop sounds from outside the window. Maddie jumped about half a mile, almost taking the chair with her. John put his hand on her shoulder to steady her. He could hear people running outside and another gunshot. Farther away this time. John stands and directs Maddie to the floor. "Stay down for a minute." Maddie quickly climbed under the table in a state of panic, knees pulled to her chest. The only thing she heard was her own breathing. Another gunshot made her whole body react.

John opened the balcony window and saw a few people running around a corner. Kids most likely. He called dispatch and let them know what was going on. Cops were already canvassing the neighborhood and were less than five minutes away. Lucky for him. The last thing he wanted to do was chase a couple of kids down in the dark. He turned to see Maddie had moved into the kitchen against the counter on the floor. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she was completely still.

He stood over her for a moment. "Probably just kids. It's okay now." He watched the top of her brunette head nod slightly. He sighed, knowing that she was terrified and why. He hadn't been on the job long, but over the years he'd seen enough people with PTSD in orphanages and boys homes and even his own foster homes to spot it a mile away.

John slowly held his hand down to her, but she still wouldn't move or look up at him. He tried another approach and leaned down to her level. "They're gone. Nothing to be scared of." Still no response. John wanted to see her face, to read her somehow, so he cautiously moved a section of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Not even this got a reaction. "You gonna let me help you stand up?"

Maddie covered her face with her hands for a moment, beyond embarrassed. She didn't even know this guy. "I… I don't like guns. I'm ridiculous. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I don't like them either. Never even used mine." She is silent, still looking at the floor. "It's okay now." He repeated softly.

Maddie glanced up at the window over the balcony where the shots had come from and took John's hand when he stood up. She smiles at him weakly. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to call someone for you?"

Maddie starts to clear the table. "I just need some sleep. It's been a long week. Thank you for coming by. It was nice to meet you, Officer Blake."

"My pleasure. No problem at all." John assured her and took out a piece of paper to write on. "I actually live really close by. Seven or eight blocks north. If you ever need anything, feel nervous, any problems, give me a call. Doesn't matter what time."

She takes the slip of paper from him when John's phone rings. "Excuse me." He answers, mumbles a few sentences, and hangs up. "They got 'em. Couple of kids fighting about a debt. Something stupid like that."

"I really hate this city sometimes."

"I know the feeling."

"Thanks." She holds up the paper. "For this."

He nodded and stepped out into the hallway. "Any time. Have a nice night."

"You too, John."

He looked back at her. "What happened to Officer Blake?"

"John suits you."

"You're not ridiculous." He tells her.

When she smiled at him one last time and closed the door, he didn't move until he heard the three dead bolts click and the chain move across the top of the door.


	26. Stalked

John paced the sidewalk that lined the front of the boy's home. He'd been there for ten minutes and still couldn't find the courage to walk inside. Sixth graders probably didn't even do this anymore over a girl. Pathetic. But a problem nonetheless. He knew Maddie Wayne was inside and hadn't stopped thinking about her since Tuesday night. "This is stupid… walk inside… just go in." He said to himself, then took a deep breath and picked up the three bags of donated toys from his trunk.

After the Reverend cornered him in his office to talk his ear off, John started scanning the wreck room full of kids for Maddie. But all of them were boys and no one was over five foot two. "Staying out of trouble or making it, guys?" He said to Kevin and his group of friends huddled in a corner.

They carried on their conversation like he wasn't there, which was a normal occurrence during the frequent visits. John was there at least twice a week, but half of the kids didn't trust him because of the badge. Occupational hazard. "Seen the new volunteer around?" He asked them casually… or at least he thought it sounded casual-ish.

One of the tougher boys rolled his eyes. "Which one?"

"The new girl. Brown hair, pretty face-"

"-oh the hot one." Tyler recalled with a smirk. "We've _all_ seen her."

John pointed at him. "Watch that. No one teaches you how to talk to girls when you're ten, but they should start early. You'll make her uncomfortable."

"We don't say it in front of her."

"Sure you don't." John said in a disbelieving tone. "How's she doing?"

"What do you like her or something?" Kevin asked him. The boys stared back at him like a pack of wolves.

John actually felt intimidated for a second. "Just curious."

The boy shrugged. "Michael hit Aaron on Monday and she's been trying to get them to stop fighting since. The Reverend told her he'd talk to them, but she wanted to help. They've been out there every day." He pointed to the far end of the playground area outside. "They're never gonna like each other. She's weird."

John moved towards the open double doors leading outside and watched as the two boys threw a ball back and forth to each other by the slide. Maddie stood on the sidelines. They seemed to be humoring her more than anything. He figured they appreciated her interest. After awhile she sensed their boredom and dismissed them. He couldn't help but stifle a chuckle when they ran off in separate directions.

Maddie sighed deeply and started putting all of the scattered equipment in a netted bag. So, her first project had failed. She'd find another one to focus on. Fine. So, why did she feel like complete shit about it? They're ten year old boys. They'd work it out on their own without her. "Let it go." She mumbled to herself and leaned over for one of the balls under the slide. "You're here to help _them_."

Before finishing her last thought, she felt something brush her shoulder from behind and she backed up against the slide in less than a second. By the time she realized how ridiculous she looked hidden under the playground, she looked up and saw that it was only John. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"I thought you saw me… or heard me." was all John could get out. He looked more scared than she was.

"What are you doing out here?"

He held his hand down to her. She decided against taking it and stood up on her own. Out of embarrassment mostly. "I brought some stuff over from the toy drive at the station." He held a ball out to her that he had picked up. She took it from him and dropped it in the bag.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She told him with a hint of anger in her voice. "If I wanted your help I would've asked for it."

Maddie dropped the bag at her side and passed John to the chain link fence facing the street. She inhaled the cold afternoon air and suddenly wondered why she had just been so cruel to him. He hadn't done anything really. She just wasn't in a very nice mood. Being stalked did that. She heard his soft footsteps stop beside her and quickly wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I can take you home if you want."

"No." She protested, looking over at him. "I can't go home." Why did she say that?

John stepped closer to her. "Why?"

"Can you just… go away. I'll be fine. I just want to stand here for a minute."

"I'm not going anywhere."

She looked at him again, surprised. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"Get the hell out of here."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on."

And then the claws came out, defense mode kicking in. "You're really taking the 'to serve and protect' thing to the max aren't you? Let me see if I can make it easier for you to understand: _Please_. _Go. Away_."

John just stood there, stared back at her with a blank expression. Despite the abuse she was directing at him, he could still see her body shaking. She was obviously terrified and he wanted to know why. "Why can't you go home?"

"What do you care?" John still wasn't budging. She sighed, realizing he was almost as stubborn as she was when he wanted to be. "I think someone's been following me. I saw him again this morning outside of my building. They're with Joker… I know it. Okay? Are you happy now? Can you please just-"

"-have you seen him before?" John cut in.

"A few times. He's never spoken to me. And it's not only him. There are others. And yes before you ask, I'm aware of how crazy-paranoid that sounds, but I've seen them all over. Wherever I am."

This didn't surprise John or sound crazy to him at all. Joker had to have people on the outside. He was about to tried for murder, kidnapping a rich socialite, theft, and all of the above. Maddie was probably the only one who could put him away for life. Of course he'd want to shut her up. "Get a good look at him?"

"Tall, maybe six foot, brownish black hair. He was wearing jeans and a dark jacket. I've seen him every day this week. The bastard's really put me on edge."

John scribbled the vague description down on a pad of paper from his jacket. "And he's never approached you? Threatened you in any way?"

"Other than creeping me out, no."

"Anything else you can remember?"

"His eyes are sort of hollow. Sunken in. Scary guy, basically."

John smirked down at the pad. "I'll be sure to add that to my report." He scribbled down the last of it and leaned against the fence next to her. "You need to call the station when something like this happens. This case on the Joker, it's huge. The biggest trial Gotham will probably ever see. We can't protect you if you won't let us. You seem like a nice girl. I don't want to see you get hurt or worse."

Maddie shivered a bit and stared blankly across the street.

"Normally I'd tell you to get an order of protection against him, but he's in jail and none of his people have ever approached you, so there's no proof that their tailing you. But if they are, it's been going on since your release. I'd put money on it."

Aaron suddenly wandered over from the other side of the playground, bored out of his mind. He stopped when he saw Maddie and John talking closely. "You get mugged or something?"

Maddie looked away from him to hide her face.

"You at least catch the guy?" Aaron asked John directly.

"No one got mugged, Aaron. Go inside and find the Reverend."

"You okay?" Aaron asked her, ignoring John completely.

"Mm-hmm. I'm just tired. You guys wore me out." Maddie answered and smiled over at him. "It's freezing. I put your jacket in the closet for you."

Aaron glared over at John. "This guy's the one bothering you then?"

Maddie laughed and John just looked at him, incredulous, and pointed to the emblem on his jacket. "I'm a cop."

"Yeah. I know." Aaron answered and headed back to the building.

John rolled his eyes. "Busted by a ten year old."

"His father was arrested last year. Drugs. He's been here ever since."

"Mother?"

Maddie let out a deep sigh. "Died when he was six. Also drugs. No other relatives."

John see's her shivering again. He slides off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders. "We can put a uniform outside of your apartment at night. It's something at least. Gordon would okay it."

"No one's tried to break in."

"Means and opportunity."

"My friend Adam from the Tribune warned me this would happen. No one was following me then. At least I don't think they were. But I was staying at the Penthouse with my brother."

"Personal protection could be a way to go. Then you'd have someone on you day and night."

Maddie smiled to herself a little just thinking of how happy that would make Bruce. "That sounds very appealing."

"Just until after the trial. Small price to pay."

"Privacy and a little bit of independence might not mean much to you, Officer Blake, but they do to me."

"Can't do everything by yourself."

She looked at him square in the eyes. "Says who?"

John doesn't answer, but holds eye contact with her, then feels his body move inadvertently closer. There was the feeling again. "Do you like being a cop?" He heard her ask and shrugged. "Mostly. It's what I want to do. Help people. If you're not doing that then what are you doing?"

She smiled at him again and it was enough to knock him over. He felt himself starting to blush and tried his best to stop it.

"It's been my brother and I our whole lives. He means everything to me and I mean more than that to him. We're all we have. He gets very… stifling when it comes to my safety. I was hoping I could handle this one alone. Show him that his little sister can take care of herself for once."

"This one's too big. Not really the right time to-" He stopped talking when he spotted a man over her shoulder. He was standing in front of the coffee stop across the street and was exactly who she had described to him earlier. And he was staring right at them.

"What?" She asked, turned around, and went as white as a sheet. At some point she must have stopped breathing because no air was leaving her body.

"That him?" John asked.

Maddie nodded and watched him closely. Even though the man had been spotted, he was still staring at her like a piece of bait. She turned back around, terrified. "Why is he still looking over here?" She whispered shakily.

"Go inside. I'll be right back." John told her and started to leave. Maddie quickly pulled on his sleeve. "Wait. Shouldn't you call for backup? What are you going to do?"

"He's standing on a street corner. I'm just gonna talk to him." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Go inside and wait for me."

"If you're just going to talk to him then I'm going with you. I want to know why he's following me. What he wants."

John smiled at her brashness that he was starting to get used to. "I'll ask for you." He said and leaves her at the fence. She slowly walked towards the building, but stopped in the doorway to watch John. He and the man talked for a moment and then she saw the man shove John and reach for something in his jacket. John quickly discharged his gun and held it on him. The man said something and John reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small square box.

"What's going on?" The Reverend asked from behind her.

"It's nothing, Father. I'll be right back." Maddie told him and crossed the playground towards the street.

When she got to the alley of the coffee shop, John was still holding the gun on the man, and as soon as the man saw her he tried to run off. "Don't move!" John shouted and pinned him against the brick wall. The small box dropped to the ground. "He told me never to get close." The man choked out.

John's head snapped in Maddie's directly, who was standing there listening. "Did he tell you to follow me?"

The man stayed silent. John pinned his arm behind his back harder. "Answer the lady." Still nothing. "Answer her right now or I'm taking you in. I'm guessing you have a record and another arrest wouldn't help your relationship with your parole officer. Whoever he is."

The man looked over at Maddie. "He said he follow you."

"Only you?" John asked.

"No. There are others. Since the day after Gotham General exploded. We can't bother you or talk to you or come near you. Just watch and report back."

"Report what?" Maddie asked.

"Where you go. Who you see. What you do. Everything."

Maddie felt sick to her stomach. She guessed the anger would kick in later, but she was mostly just sick. Joker was still controlling her even in prison.

"Who do you report to?" John asked.

The man shook his head. "I tell you that I'm dead any way. Doesn't matter what you do to me." He looked right at Maddie and tried to move closer to her. "Tell him to take me in."

John pushed his face away from her. "You can't talk to her, remember? Let's stick to that rule. It's a good one. Let's go."

The man struggled a bit as John starts getting out his handcuffs. "There will be someone else tomorrow. His attorney'll have me out in an hour."

John thought about what he said for a moment and looked to Maddie. He knew he was right. He roughly released the man and turned him around to face him. "Listen to me: I better not see you or anyone else within a block of this woman. She gets hurt, stubs her toe, breaks a nail, whatever… anything happens and I'm coming after all of you. You got that?"

"Yeah." The man answered, eyes on the ground.

"Good. Tell them what I said. Get out of here."

John stepped next to Maddie as the man passed them and walked around the corner. He turned to her. "You're nuts."

"So everyone keeps telling me." Maddie said, still in a daze.

"You're outside."

"What?"

"You're supposed to be inside."

"I had to know."

"I would have told you the truth."

"I wanted to hear it for myself." Maddie leaned over to pick up the small wrapped box from the ground. John quickly took it from her before she could open it. "Wait."

"Are you on the bomb squad too?"

John took the top off the box, flinching a bit. "I've seen enough."

Maddie released a breath. "_I'm_ nuts?"

John removed the tissue paper and see's a note on the top. It said "For Madolyn, My Love. XOXO J". It was a silver necklace with a locket. Maddie looked down, knowing it was from Joker. John awkwardly handed it over to her. "I don't want that."

He shoved it in his pocket. "I'll take it to Gordon."

"Good."

John put his hand on the small of her back to lead her away. "Come on. I'll take you home."


	27. Cop vs Journalist

"What… is that?" Maddie asked a very drenched Adam Valenti. He was standing on her doorstep holding a monopoly box. There was also a duffell bag over his shoulder ready to burst. "And that." She pointed.

"That, darling, is half of my life. I would have called first, but it's been a crazy day. Permission to enter?" He held up the board game with a lopsided grin. "I have more entertainment than you can handle."

Maddie opened the door for him to come inside and grabbed a towel. She ruffled his wet hair with it. "You're soaked!"

He nodded, taking it from her to do it himself. "That's because it's pouring, genius." Adam noticed the bags under her eyes. She looked so worn out. "Everything good? You look a little…"

"Oh, yeah, just work and classes. It's been nuts." Adam drops his bag on the floor next to the couch and takes a seat. "You gonna tell me what's in the bag or is it a secret?"

"I was hoping I could rent your couch for a few days. Apartment's being defumigated."

Maddie watched his eyes and the familiar facial twitch that she knew too well for a moment and threw the duffel at him. "Bull shit. I've used that one before."

Adam took a moment. "Room's flooded. They have to take this big vacuum, this huge monster, and suck it out. It's disgusting and it smells and I can't be there."

"Nope."

"I'm homeless. They kicked me out… because I'm a bad person." He stared back at Maddie, who's arms were crossed over her chest now, obviously catching him in his string of lies. "Do you want me to be one of those guys that sleeps in parks and shouts at walls? You're supposed to be one of those humanitarian types. A volunteer… or whatever."

Her annoyed and otherwise expressionless face told him that he had been caught. Lying was not his forte. Especially when it came to Maddie. She always knew. "Only for a few days, okay?" He sighed and followed her into the kitchen. "I'm… listen, we're covering the trial and Jane's moved out and you're alone over here. Should I end this tirade with the fact that it's practically Narrow's territory?"

Maddie turned away from him and started rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for something. Anything to avoid the conversation. "It is NOT the Narrows! How many times do I have to say it?!"

"Okay, it _outlines_ the Narrows, if you want to get specific. Bottom line: I'm worried about you. I haven't heard from you in days."

"I told you I've been busy."

Adam moved to the side of her. "You're isolating yourself out here." He touched the skin under her eye with his thumb. "You look like you haven't slept in days. Having a little support doesn't make you weak, Mads."

She looked over at him. "It's sweet of you to offer, but one of Gotham's finest will be here-" She glanced at the clock. "Well, should have been here an hour ago, so you don't have to stay or worry or whatever."

"A cop? Why? Did something happen?" Adam asked worriedly.

"No." Maddie lied, taking a frozen pizza out of the freezer. "Commissioner Gordon thought it might be a good idea until after the trial. Just in case. Have you eaten anything?"

"No."

"Good. I'm starving. Throw this in the oven, will you? I'm going to throw some stuff in the dryer." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a hug. "Best friend a girl could ask for. But it's still not the Narrows. It's the outline."

Adam couldn't stop himself from smiling at her before she walked down the hallway into her bedroom and then of course he wanted to kick himself. Feelings fucking sucked sometimes. He leaned down and fiddled with the oven knob a bit. When he stood up and took the pizza out of the box, there was a single click sound right behind him and then a whistle.

He turned around and a guy around his age, maybe a few years older, was pointing a gun at his head. "Whoa!" Adam reacted, putting both hands up, and dropping the pizza in the same motion.

"Where is she?" The man asked anxiously.

Adam quickly started explaining himself. "Look, take what you want, okay? Whatever's here. There's a tv in the living room and a laptop in the… I can go in the bedroom and get it." Then he remembered his original question. "Who's she? I live alone, man."

"What are you doing in Ms. Wayne's apartment?"

Adam tried to get a better look at him, but he was standing in the shadows. "Who are you?"

"Show me some identification."

"Excuse me?"

Then he moved closer and stepped into the light and Adam saw his badge. He was a cop. "Right now. Show it to me. Maddie!" John yelled and looked towards the back of the apartment. "Guessing your friend didn't give you the message to stay the hell away."

"What are you… this is… put the gun down. I'm a friend of hers. This isn't what you think. I'm-"

"Maddie!" John yelled again.

Maddie came out of the hallway carrying blankets and two pillows. "What are you yelling about? I have neighbors." She dropped the stuff on the couch and stopped when she saw the scene in the kitchen.

"This guy was in your kitchen." John told her matter-of-factly. He raised the gun a bit. Adam flinched and looked at Maddie over his shoulder. "Will you tell this maniac to put the gun down, please? Two seconds from a heart attack."

John was still looking at Adam. "You alright?" But the question wasn't directed at him.

"John this is Adam. My friend I was telling you about from the newspaper." And then John slowly lowered the weapon into his holster with an embarrassed expression. The hits just kept coming. "Adam, this is John. He's with the GCPD. Obviously. And I'm guessing-" Maddie pointed to John. "-you're my bodyguard for the evening?"

He nodded. "Looks like it. There wasn't enough man power. I volunteered."

"That was nice of you." Adam chimed in, eyeing John suspiciously. "What's with the heavy artillery?"

Maddie sighed, really not wanting to get into it. Then she would have another person on her back, but she had to give Adam an explanation now. "Joker's people have been following me." She passed both of the men to get to the kitchen. They both watched her with concern. "Pizza fan?" She asked from the floor.

"Me?" John asked, confused. "Sure."

Maddie picked up the now desecrated pie from the tile floor. "Too bad because it died. Turkey sandwiches it is."

"Sorry about that." John said. Adam shrugged. "People point guns at me all the time. Lets me know they care." He said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Any way, I'm here. My stuff and all, so you don't have to stay the night. She's good."

"Journalist, right?"

"Assistant to a journalist, but close enough, yeah." Adam answered, defensive.

"Then all due respect, I have a weapon and you have a pen and laptop." He lowered his voice for the next part. "Someone comes in they're not going to be here to rob the place. I think we both know that. I'm more equipped to protect a witness."

Adam stepped closer to him. "She's not a witness. She's a human being."

"I'm aware of that. Look, I can see that you care about her, but I'm just doing my job."

"Which is what exactly?"

"Keeping Maddie safe before and during the trial."

They stare each other down, neither budging. Maddie rolled her eyes and walked over to them. Why she had been blessed with extremely stubborn people in her life she would never know. "Guys… please… I've been through enough today, okay?" She touched Adam's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Please? Come on."

Adam took a few steps back and wandered into the kitchen to help with the sandwiches. John's eyes moved to the floor. "Sorry." He mumbled under his breath. She almost didn't hear him. "Sorry." He said louder, directed towards Adam, who nodded at him.

"Good. That's settled then." Maddie said and started setting the table. She nudged Adam back into the living room. "I'll finish this. Try and behave." He stuck his tongue out at her and lingered by the couch, hands shoved in his pockets.

The tension could have been cut with a knife. Maddie decided to try and lighten the mood. "Since you're both staying and won't be sleeping with me or each other, how's this going to work?" She asked. "I'm open to suggestions."

"I'll take a chair and stay outside in the hallway. Can't do much good in here." John told her.

Maddie looked over at him, suddenly concerned for some reason. The thought of him just sitting out there the whole night didn't sit right with her. "How will you sleep?"

John laughed a little and shrugged. "Sitting up, I guess. I'll come in and out to keep an eye on the balcony." He examined the lock on the door leading out to it. "You should have this looked at."

Adam wanted to say something along the lines of 'or you could leave and never come back', but decided against it. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's old. Easy to get into."

Adam glanced down at the street. They were seven stories up. "Kind of a high climb. Even for you, Officer Blake."

"Ah, but nothing's too high for a criminal."

"Mm-hmm."

Maddie was about to interject to break up yet another one of their quarrel's when her cell phone rang. "Hello? Hi. Yeah, he's… Office Blake is here. Why? What?" She sighed deeply and holds the phone out to John. "It's my brother. Jim told him you were coming over I guess. He wants to talk to you."

John takes the phone from her. "Hello?" He listened for a moment and nodded. "Absolutely. Uh huh. Already checked. Next on my list. There was a small miscommunication earlier." He eyed Adam. "Will do. Have a good night." He handed the phone back to her. "Just wanted to make sure I checked the windows in your bedroom. He said they looked like they needed new locks the last time he was here."

She couldn't even find a way to respond to that, so she let it go and set the table instead. The dinner was almost completely silent aside from the insults John and Adam weren't hurling at each other. Their glares across the table did the talking for them. Men were so weird.

Later, Maddie helped Adam make up the couch and poked her head outside to check on John. She handed him a Coke. "Have everything you need out here?"

"Looks like it. Thanks."

"Take whatever you want from the fridge." Maddie told him. He nodded absently and opened the can. She looked down and was suddenly self conscious, realizing she was only wearing pajamas. "You're kind of a hothead. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"No. Maybe. A few times." He answered. "I didn't know who he was."

"I know you didn't. Um… thank you though. For the gesture. A less violent one would have sufficed, but…"

"Fair enough. But you're not exactly _easy_ yourself."

Maddie looked down at her shoes. "No, I'm not."


End file.
